Wrong Place, Wrong Time
by CTI-Jenn
Summary: For the past month, the team has been trying to figure out who is behind a series of bank robberies that have left over fifty people dead.  Now the case is about to become personal when one of their own is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
1. Prologue

Author's Notes: Prologue is short but I couldn't help but leave you hanging there. Chapters will be longer. I had trouble deciding what rating to give this story. I read and reread the ratings descriptions to decide if it could be rated T or if I should just go ahead and be safe and make it an M. I don't see it going much beyond what you see on an actual episode but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'm curious as to what other writers use to make their determination.

Disclaimer: Doesn't belong to me and I'm not making any money off it.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Prologue<p>

Don Flack stepped under the yellow police tape into the bank. The silent alarm had come in an hour ago but by the time the first unis arrived, the robbers were long gone leaving a blood bath in their wake. Initial reports were sketchy at best but at least ten people had been killed outright - each one shot numerous times. People who were inside the bank at the time of the robbery also claimed that the thieves had taken hostages with them but nobody seemed to know for sure how many.

Flack was pretty sure he knew. There would have been five hostages. One for each of the robbers. The MO here was exactly the same as three previous bank robberies that had occurred across the city in the last month. The bodies of the first five hostages had been found in three different locations a week after the first robbery and the day after the second robbery. A week later, the same thing happened with the second set of hostages and the third robbery. If the MO held the same, tomorrow the morgue would have five new occupants. So far the cause of death for each of the dead hostages had been the same - a single gunshot wound to the head. But for each the gunshot had been only the killing blow to a week's worth of torture.

He looked around and saw Sheldon Hawkes kneeling beside one body performing a cursory examination. Jo was across the room doing the same with another victim. So far they were the only two CSI's working the scene but Flack wasn't surprised. He'd heard Mac and Danny being called to a murder at the Crosstown Motel before the shift ever started. He approached one of the tellers, hoping that maybe just this one time, they would be able to learn more about who was behind the robberies. Five new hostage victims were counting on them. The teller was a young blonde woman barely in her twenties. She was visibly shaken; her tears causing her mascara to run streaks down her cheeks. She was sitting on the floor with her back against the teller counter. He knelt beside her, noticing that her name time said Tami.

"Tami, I know this has been a traumatic experience for you but it would help if you could answer a few questions."

She nodded distractedly. Flack pulled out his notebook and pen. Then he noticed that her eyes wouldn't leave the bloody body of the nearest victim. Sensing she was close to shock, Flack shifted his position so that he was blocking her view. She blinked a couple of times, her lower lip trembling.

"This wasn't a drill, was it?" She asked the first question, almost pleading with him to tell her it wasn't real.

"I'm afraid not. I presume this is your first robbery?"

She nodded. "My first day. They had told me when they hired me that they might run a few drills from time to time to check our reactions and make sure we followed procedures. That's what I thought it was at first. Then I realized the gunshots were real and that the people who were falling were really bleeding." She wiped at her eyes, smearing her make-up even more. Her eyes on Flack were begging for him to understand. "I know I'm suppose to pull the special money that has the dye packs in them but one of the thieves was staring right at me like he knew what I was thinking and I was scarred I was going to be the next one they shot if I did what I was trained to do. I know I could lose my job and all but I look at these people who are dead and I don't care about the job anymore."

"How many thieves were there?" Flack felt sorry for her; this was no way to start a job and nothing he could say would make it better for her. However, he hoped he could focus her attention to the details of the crime. Any small detail could mean the difference between life and death for the hostages.

She shook her head. "I don't know; it all happened so fast and so slow at the same time. Does that even make sense? It seemed like the room was full of them but it was probably much less. I was afraid if I looked too closely, they would kill me. The one who demanded my money was wearing a black stocking mask. His eyes were so cold."

Flack smiled reassuringly. It wasn't anything they hadn't gotten from the other robberies but he didn't tell her that. He was about to ask her another question when she stopped him. "Detective, I don't understand why they took hostages. They could have gotten away with the money before the police arrived so it doesn't make sense to take people with them. What do you think will happen to them?"

Flack didn't have to think; he knew exactly what would happen to the them if they weren't rescued. Sid's autopsies of the ten victims so far told a pretty grim tale. There was no discernible pattern to determine why the robbers had taken those particular people hostage. Both genders, all ages, differing occupations and socio-economic status. Nothing that could help them figure out who was behind these robberies. Even the injuries sustained before death varied from victim to victim. Several of the female victims had been repeatedly raped but some female victims showed no sign of sexual assault. All the victims had been beaten but some worse than others. Many victims had traces of drugs in their systems but even the types of drugs used differed and some hadn't been drugged at all. All the victims had burn injuries, some from tasers, some from cigarettes, some from lighters. The one consistency is that none of the victims had been fed anything in the week they were taken and had been given only enough water to prevent death from occurring before the gunshot wound. The final shot almost seemed like a mercy shot. Yes, he knew what awaited the hostages but there was no need to tell Tami any of this and upset her further.

"We're going to do everything we can to rescue them before anything can happen to them." Flack offered. "Did you see the hostages? Could you identify them so we can notify their families?"

The young woman sniffled. "The only one I knew was the bank manager. Amanda Hayes. She's the one who hired me. The guy who took my money took a woman from my line. He had already hit her pretty hard when they first came in but I don't know who she was. I'm sorry. I didn't pay attention."

Flack reached out and gave the woman's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay. It was a frightening experience. It's hard to take it all in. If you do remember anything else that you think might help, give me a call." He handed her one of his cards. He pointed to an officer who seemed to be guarding the phone. "If you'll go over there to Officer Rodriguez, he'll let you call someone to pick you up. I wouldn't recommend you being alone for a few hours. You had a bad shock and its perfectly natural for you to be a little shaky."

She nodded and stood with Flack's help. She was indeed more than a little shaky but after a minute was able to walk unaided. Flack watched her go and then turned to see who else he could question. Standing right behind him was a kind faced older woman, She was frowning.

"Officer, there is a little girl missing."

Flack frowned as well, silently praying that the thieves/killers hadn't resorted to taking a small child hostage. "Why do you think that?"

"I'm a teller here. My station is right there next to Tami's. I noticed just before the robbery a little girl in Tami's line with her mother. She caught my eye because she was so cute standing there trying to balance on first one foot then the other. I was impressed because so many times parents just let their kids run wild in here but she was just entertaining herself. After the robbery started, I didn't see her anymore."

"Is it possible that she and her mother left before the robbery? Maybe they got tired of waiting. I couldn't help but notice that it seems like there were a lot of customers here at the time of the robbery."

"It's the second day of the month; of course it was busy." The woman sighed. She'd been working as a bank teller for years so this wasn't her first robbery even if it was probably the bloodiest. She supposed it should be bothering her more that people had lost their lives in a senseless and bloody way. Perhaps it would have if 9/11 hadn't changed her definitions of bloody and senseless; instead this event just seemed sad and pointless. "I wish. I didn't see the little girl after the robbery but I did see her mother. She was one of the ones taken hostage, the mother, not the child. Poor dear was hit pretty hard when the robbers first came in; I don't see how she was still conscious. Since the police arrived, I've tried looking all over the bank for her but I can't find her. I'm really worried; she couldn't be more than two."

Flack flipped to a new page in his notebook. "Can you give me a description of the little girl and what she was wearing?" As he asked, he scanned the bank for possible places for a small child to hide. There were a lot.

"Of course. She was small with fine blond hair. She was wearing blue jeans and a pink t-shirt. Oh and pink tennis shoes as well." She opened her hand to reveal several flavors of safety suckers. "I grabbed these from my bowl hoping to entice her from her hiding spot. Maybe they'll help you instead."

Taking the candy, Flack thanked the woman and promised they would find the child. He gathered several officers together and explained the situation. "She's probably terrified and could have holed up practically anywhere. If she's anything like my best friend's little girl, the places you would think would be impossible should be the first places to look. Her mom is one of the hostages so when we find her, we'll have to hope she can give us names other than Mommy and Daddy."

The officers spread out and began looking. Flack stood for a minute and tried to picture where the only two-year-old he was familiar with might like to hide. His eyes landed on an island in the middle of the bank where people could stop and fill out deposit slips. Several cabinets ran around the bottom of the island, small but large enough that a small child could fit inside. Bullet holes riddled the top section of the island but if the kid was low enough inside, she'd probably be okay.

The two cabinets on the far side of the teller's counter were empty as was the first one on the other side. When he opened the final cabinet door he immediately saw small white soles. Relieved, he knelt down to check on her. Even on his knees he wasn't low enough so he practically had to lie down on the floor to get a good look at the child.

She was asleep with her thumb tucked firmly in her mouth. A bloody smear coated her cheek and her face was red and blotchy telling the story of how she had apparently cried herself to sleep. Then Flack took a good look at her face and his heart skipped a few beats as fear clamped around it. He blinked a couple of times to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. But the face he was staring at continued to be that of his pseudo-niece, daughter of his two best friends. If Lucy Messer was the missing child, that meant Lindsay… He didn't even want to finish the thought.

"Lucy, you have some explaining to do."


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who reviewed or put this story on Story Alert or Favorites. This is going to be a darker fic than Blown Apart but I hope that it comes across as at least somewhat realistic. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 1<p>

_Earlier that morning_

"What we do today, Mommy?" Lucy Messer asked as she skipped beside her mother down the sidewalk.

Lindsay Messer had a tight grip on her daughter's hand to keep them from being separated either by accident or design. It was a rare day off after a several weeks of hard, tiring cases at work and she was looking forward to spending the day with her daughter. Even a trip to the bank wouldn't seem like such a chore today. "How about after we go to the bank, we head to the park and play there for awhile. Then I thought we could eat pizza for lunch. How does that sound?"

The little girl's whole face lit up. "Pizza and Park are my fav'it P's. Can Daddy eat pizza with us?"

Lindsay had to chuckle at her daughter's exuberance. One particular ongoing case was keeping the entire crime lab extremely busy so neither parent had had much free time to spend with Lucy especially not at the same time. Had Danny been able to swing the day off at the same time, it would have been a perfect family day but he'd been called in earlier than his scheduled 8am for a murder scene. "How about we call him just before we go eat? If he's not too busy chasing bad guys maybe he can join us. If not, then maybe we can surprise him by taking lunch to him."

"Yeah, then Unc'a Mac can sees me too. It makes his day when I visit." The little girl was being truthful. Any other child running havoc in Mac's lab would probably send the man into a massive coronary but his goddaughter could do no wrong.

Stepping into the bank, Lindsay groaned as she saw how long the lines were. She had hoped with it being the middle of the morning it would be a quick in-and-out trip but she should have known the second day of the month would be a busier than usual time. Once she had taken her place in the shortest line, she knelt down next to Lucy. She pointed to the island not fifteen feet away. "Don't even think about it."

The last time she had brought Lucy to the bank, the toddler had roamed away and hid in one of the cabinets. Lindsay had been one step away from calling in reinforcements when she had spotted a scrap of Lucy's dress sticking out from the door.

"But Mommy, I likes to play there. I pretends it my house."

Lindsay tried to hide the smile that crept into the corners of her mouth at the earnestness of Lucy's explanation. Rather than argue with child-like logic, she tried a different tactic. "But what if I get distracted and forget you were with me? I'd go to the park and play and then have pizza with Daddy while Lucy would be left here all by her lonesome."

Lucy's eyes widened at the thought of being left behind and missing her promised activities. "I'd be so sad."

Lindsay nodded. "So would Mommy and Daddy. Besides, if you aren't in line with me, how would the nice lady behind the counter know to give you a 'good girl' sucker?"

"I stay rights beside you, Mommy." The little girl promised. Lindsay stood back up and watched as Lucy demonstrated how well she could balance on one leg. Lindsay knew she and Danny were fortunate because for the most part Lucy was a well-behaved little girl. She was extremely imaginative and found ways to occupy herself that typically didn't cause trouble. Seeing that Lucy was suitably entertained for a moment, Lindsay reached for her small purse and removed the paychecks and deposit slip she'd filled out before leaving home.

Suddenly a shot rang out in the bank. Several more quickly followed. Lindsay immediately put herself between the sound and her daughter. As the first victim, the bank guard, fell from multiple gunshot wounds, she buried Lucy's head in her leg. She didn't want the little girl to see any of what was happening.

Without trying to appear to be doing so, she scanned the room. Five masked men wearing similar black sweatshirts and black jeans were carrying semiautomatic handguns. With a sinking feeling in her gut, she realized these were probably the same ones responsible for the three previous robberies that had kept her and the rest of the lab so busy the last few weeks. She'd helped process one of the robberies and four of the subsequent body dumps.

Two more victims went down in a rain of gun fire and before she knew it, one of the masked men was standing right next to her. He looked straight at her and she thought she saw a look of recognition flash in his hazel eyes. Without warning, he raised his weapon and clipped her in the side of the head. She collapsed, dazed, pulling Lucy down with her. The toddler cried out in protest and Lindsay covered the little girl's mouth to quiet her with one hand and put one finger of the other hand in front of her own mouth signally Lucy to stay quiet. When the little girl nodded, Lindsay removed her hand and hugged the little girl close. She spoke in Lucy's ear.

"Mommy's okay, sweetheart. It's going to be okay but I need you to listen to me and do exactly what I say. Can you do that?"

She pulled back to look at Lucy. She was surprised to see blood on Lucy's cheek where she'd hugged her and realized it must be her own blood. The little girl nodded her understanding. She carefully folded the checks in her hand until they were small enough for her to put in Lucy's jeans pocket. Then, Lindsay pulled her close again, this time on her uninjured side. "You hold on to those papers for me. Mommy changed her mind. I do want you to very quietly crawl over and hide in the cabinet. No matter what you hear, I want you to stay very quiet and still until I or someone else you know comes for you. Okay?"

Again Lucy nodded. Lindsay kissed her quickly and then watched as the little girl did as instructed. Her head throbbing, she wondered briefly if she should risk getting her phone out and calling in the robbery. She surreptitiously reached for it but all of a sudden felt eyes on her. Looking up, she saw the one who hit her watching her intently. She forgot about the phone and said a silent prayer that he hadn't noticed Lucy.

More gunshots echoed through the back and everyone who was standing hit the ground. Several rounds went into the deposit island but Lindsay knew it was high enough that Lucy would be scared but unhurt.

For the next ten minutes, all was quiet as the robbers gathered the money. Then almost in silent agreement each robber went to stand next to someone in the bank. Lindsay realized they were choosing their hostages. To her horror, the one who had hit her came to stand beside her. He grabbed her hair and jerked her to her feet. She let out a squeal of pain but her assailant only laughed.

"We thank you for your warm reception and we'll let you get back to your regularly scheduled day - except for you fine folks we have selected to accompany us." One of the thieves announced from across the room.

Lindsay knew what lay ahead for the hostages. She'd seen the bodies of the former hostages as she worked those scenes. As a cop she knew she should consider it her duty to be in this position instead of a civilian. However as a mother and woman she wanted to fight against this with all she had.

She struggled against her assailant as he grabbed at her hands. She jerked a hand away and scratched his arm hoping to buy enough time to reach the gun he'd put in his waistband. He slapped her face and then recaptured her hand before she could reach her prize. She quit struggling and allowed him to bind her hands together with a large plastic zip tie, however, when he pulled her close and whispered in her ear.

"Play nice or I'll find that little girl of yours and put a bullet right between her eyes just because I can."

The five thieves pushed their hostages toward the door. Silent tears ran down Lindsay's face as she prayed someone from the lab, someone Lucy trusted and loved, would quickly arrive and find the frightened two-year-old.

The hostages were thrown into the back of a van. Three of the thieves, including the one who had chosen Lindsay, climbed in with them while the other two got in the front. Lindsay looked at her fellow hostages for want of something to do besides worry about her daughter. Of the five, two besides herself were female. They were all wearing the same frightened look in their eyes. Lindsay wondered if any of them, like her, knew what fate awaited them or if for them it was just the fear of the unknown haunting them.

The van lurched off and Lindsay was determined to memorize every turn it made, every landmark that passed the small window, but her captors had other ideas. A hood was placed over every head and tied securely. The material was heavy and reeked of sweat and fear. Her heart thudded with the knowledge that the last few people who had worn the hood had died a painful death. Would she be the next? She couldn't delude herself. She knew her co-workers were the best but the thieves turned murderers had left them nothing to go on. No matter how much her heart was telling her that Danny wouldn't rest until he found her, she knew the odds weren't in her favor. It didn't help that her head was throbbing where she had been hit.

Sobs threatened to overwhelm her as much as her fear. Those few short years of being a wife and a mother weren't enough. She knew her job was dangerous but this had nothing to do with her job. She'd simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. A male voice forced her from her thoughts.

"Why are you doing this? You got away. Let us go. We don't know what you look like. We can't tell the police anything."

She heard a flash of movement, a painful grunt, and then a body rolled into her lap. Lindsay decided the captor had hit the protesting hostage, knocking him out.

"Anybody else got a complaint?"

"There's no need to hurt anyone. We're tied up and hooded; we're no threat to you." Lindsay knew it wasn't wise to speak up but she was hoping it would prevent anyone else from getting hurt.

A hand closed around her throat and squeezed. "Of course there's no need for it and you, pretty mama, sure ain't no threat but that don't mean we aren't a threat to you." The tone was mocking.

She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness but tried to fight against it. Then she felt something touching her stomach. Electricity coursed through her body and she couldn't stop the scream from tearing from her throat. Her last thought before she lost consciousness was a hope that someone had found Lucy.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Don Flack couldn't believe he was looking at his best friend's daughter. Nor could he believe it meant Lindsay was one of the hostages. He needed to wake Lucy but didn't want to scare her. Reaching into the cabinet he poked the little girl's nose the same way he had often seen Danny wake her. The two-year-old wrinkled her nose and unfurled the finger next to the thumb she was sucking and brushed at her nose. Her eyes blinked open slowly. Don smiled at the little girl. "Hey, Princess."

She scrambled out of the cabinet and threw her little arms around his neck. "Unc'a Flat. I so scared."

He held her close trying to comfort her. "I know, Lucy. It's okay now. The bad guys are gone. Are you hurt?" He had seen the blood on her face but it didn't appear to be hers. Both tellers had told him that Lindsay had been hit so he assumed the blood belong to Lindsay.

"I not hurt. Where's mommy? They hurted her and made her beeded. She told me to hided until she came for me but her never came. Did she hafta go to the popsicle for a bamage?"

Don tried to sort out what she was telling him. Usually he could decipher what she meant but he was clueless about her last question. Worse, how do you explain to a two-year-old that her mommy had been taken hostage?

"Flack, you found her."

Don turned to see Sheldon and Jo approaching. He was glad to see them; Jo was a mother, maybe she could still understand toddler-speak. "Guys, we have a problem." He shifted so they could get a good look at Lucy. Sheldon knelt in front of them.

"Lucy? Lucy was the missing little girl? That means…" He trailed off unable to say it anymore than Flack could think it. Lucy rubbed her eyes.

"Unc'a Doc! Aunt Jo!" At first she looked excited to see them but that only lasted a moment. Her head turned as much as she could in one direction and then back the other way. Her eyes filled with tears once more. "I want Mommy. She say she be sad if she left me. Where is her?"

Jo's heart broke for the little girl. She reached out her arms to take her from Flack. She wasn't her mother but perhaps as a mother she would be a good substitute. "Come here, Lucy. We'll find Mommy soon."

Lucy shook her head and buried it in the crook of Flack's neck, tightening her hold. He recognized the maneuver and knew it wasn't a slight against Jo. He'd seen Lucy act the same way many times with both Danny and Lindsay when she was tired or not feeling well. Whichever parent held her first became the only parent she wanted. It didn't matter how exhausted one parent was or how helpless the other parent was feeling, she'd cling to the original parent even in her sleep. He was pretty sure the only way he'd be able to turn Lucy loose would be for either Danny or Lindsay to arrive.

Danny. He groaned inwardly. They would have to tell Danny that Lindsay was missing. He looked at Jo. "Lucy will keep me company for now. Why don't you call Mac and fill him in on what's going on. He can make sure Danny gets here without going ballistic."

Jo narrowed her eyes, not sure if she got the better or worse end of the deal. She reached for her cell phone and hit the speed dial for Mac Taylor. He answered on the second ring.

"Mac, its Jo. Danny's not in earshot, is he?"

"_No, why?"_

"We've hit a snag here at the bank in the identification of one of the hostages. Mac, it's Lindsay."

"_What about her?"_ There was an almost growl in his voice but Jo realized he purposefully didn't say her name. Danny may not be able to hear her side of the conversation but he obviously could Mac's.

"She's one of the hostages. Flack has Lucy; she's unharmed but frightened."

"_Hold on."_ Mac replied tersely and she realized he was holding off saying too much until he could get well away from Danny. "_Lindsay is off today; how did this happen?"_

"We got paid yesterday. If I had to hazard a guess, she was here depositing their paychecks. I don't think they know she's a cop. I'm pretty sure she was hurt though. Lucy had a blood smear that doesn't appear to be her own."

Mac swore. _"I can't leave the crime scene yet."_

Jo frowned. She knew Mac wanted to drop everything and get here. He cared about all his people as if they were family; she had noticed it from her first day. As the days turned to weeks she decided that Mac had taken on the role of surrogate father for Lindsay since her own father was so far away. That or he took the role of godfather as seriously as they did in the movie of the same name.

"Why don't you tell Danny we need his help at our crime scene but don't mention Lindsay or Lucy. We'll tell him when he gets here. I'll keep you updated."

It took a moment for Mac to answer and Jo knew he was contemplating his options. Then he sighed. " _Sounds like the best plan. As soon as I get everything wrapped up here, I'll join you. Don't let him do anything stupid."_

Jo promised and hung up the phone. Before she rejoined her team, she took a moment to collect her thoughts. Even though she was no rookie, she was the newbie of the group. She'd only known Lindsay for six months and she was terrified for the younger woman. Only Ellie or Taylor in danger would upset her more. If the situation was affecting her this much, what must it be like for Flack or Sheldon or even Mac who had known Lindsay for five and a half years. And poor Danny. From everything she'd been told there had been something between the tough Staten Island native and the spunky transplant from Montana from the very beginning. It was obvious how much they loved each other. How would he handle the news that his soul mate had been taken hostage by men known for torture and murder?

She took a deep breath. Agonizing over the situation wouldn't help Lindsay. She rejoined Flack and noticed that Lucy was still clinging to him but had traded her thumb for a safety sucker. She smiled at the little girl. "What do you have there, Lucy?"

Still keeping one arm around Flack's neck, Lucy pulled the red candy from her mouth. "Good girl sucker. Unc'a Flat gived me."

"Well, you have definitely been a good girl so I guess you deserve it." She noticed something poking from the toddler's pocket. She retrieved the thick paper and unfolded it. It was two paychecks. "Lucy, when did Mommy put these in your pocket?"

"Before I hided. She told me to hold 'em for her. I's a big girl. I's help Mommy."

Refolding the checks, Jo returned them to the toddler's pocket then brushed away a tear. "Yes, you are."

"She didn't want to take a chance of the thieves figuring out she was a cop." Flack reasoned, impressed by how quickly Lindsay had to have thought under pressure. His jaw rocked in anger at what his friend must be going through right then. "Mac and Danny on their way?"

"Danny is; Mac will be here as soon as their scene is cleared. Don't worry, he's only telling Danny we need help processing. Which I'm assuming Sheldon has gone back to doing."

Flack nodded. "He checked Lucy over as much as she would let him without releasing her death grip on me first though. She's okay."

Jo was relieved that was the case. Danny would be upset enough about Lindsay without having an injured Lucy to worry about as well. "Okay then, if you are okay with Miss Sticky Face here, I'll help him until Danny arrives."

"We're good."

Lucy finished her sucker and put her head down on Flack's shoulder, unusually quiet but not going back to sleep. Flack was lazily rubbing his hand up and down her small back. Any other time, the other officers would have teased him mercilessly about how domesticated he looked. However, nobody said a word, knowing the seriousness of the situation. As soon as the tall lanky familiar figure came through the door and slip under the tapee kit in hand, Lucy was the first to notice Danny. She began to squirm in Flack's arms. At first he held her tighter until he saw Danny had arrived. He sat her on the ground and watched her run to her father.

"Daddy, Daddy."

Her calls alerted Jo and Sheldon to Danny's arrival as well and they stopped what they were doing to approach their friend and colleague. Danny was surprised to see Lucy but he put down his kit and scooped her up in his arms. "Hey Lucy Bear. What are you doin' here?" He looked at Jo. "Come on, I get it's a big scene but did you have to call in Lindsay? Today was her first day off in weeks. Not to mention, I'm not crazy about my daughter hanging around crime scenes. Where is Linds?"

He looked from Jo to Flack to Sheldon but none of them seemed to know how to answer. Lucy grabbed her father's face in her little hands and made him look at her. "Bad men hurted Mommy. She needs a bamage from the popsicle."

Danny frowned. Now he remembered Lindsay saying she was going to the bank today. Had she been here when the robbery happened? "Is that true, guys? Was Lindsay hurt? What hospital did they take her to?"

Finally Flack found his voice. "Popsicle means hospital? Never would have figured that one out. Dan, there's no easy way to tell you this. Lindsay is not at the hospital. I'm sorry, Danny, she was gone when we got here."

Blood drained from his face as he sank to his knees. His hand appeared large as it covered the side of Lucy's head, pulling her to his chest. His eyes reddened from the tears that sprang to his eyes. "No way; my wife can't be dead."


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Wow, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. It means so much to me. There are a few more curse words in this chapter than what I usually write but they just seemed to fit where they are. As always, any feedback is appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still can't claim them.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 2<p>

Jo slapped Flack's arm. She knew he hadn't meant for Danny to misconstrue his phrasing but it was obvious how badly it had come across. Of course, it wasn't going to be any easier telling him what actually happened. What do you say 'Don't worry, Danny; your wife isn't dead – not yet at least.'? Kneeling in front of him, she made sure she had his eye before she spoke. "Lindsay is alive, Danny. What Flack meant was that she was taken hostage when the bank robbers left."

Slowly Danny nodded, indicating he understood, his heart once more beating but still a little rapid. He looked around the bank surveying the massacre. "This like the other three?"

Flack nodded grimly, feeling like he was just forced to deliver a death sentence to his best friend. He felt bad for causing Danny to fear the worst but this was an impossible situation. He was scared for Lindsay; he could only imagine it was ten times worse for his best friend.

For just a moment, Danny covered his eyes with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Lucy in order to compose himself. His heart was hammering in his head and he wanted to completely lose it. His wife was missing and she was injured. No, she wasn't just missing; she'd been kidnapped by five men known for torturing and murdering their hostages. He didn't want to completely lose it; he wanted to beat someone's head into a bloody pulp. But he had to keep it together. If he stood any chance of helping to find Lindsay before it was too late, he'd have to remain in control. Besides, Lucy was depending on him; she was obviously upset by the experience and would only be more upset if she knew he was.

Removing his hand he looked Lucy over carefully. Blood was on her cheek but it didn't look like she was injured. Lucy had said that Lindsay needed a bandage so the blood was probably her mother's. He cupped her face in his hands. "You okay, Lucy? Those bad guys didn't hurt Daddy's little angel, did they?" His voice was deceptively calm not betraying the terrible agony he was currently feeling.

She shook her head. "I not hurt. Mommy told me to hided an I hided so good nobody found me 'cept Unc'a Flat."

"Really? Where did you hide that was such a good spot?" Danny tried to keep his tone light. Lucy pointed to the island that had been her sanctuary. The only thing that stood out about her hiding spot when Danny looked at it were the bullet holes that pot marked the wood. His heart did a double beat as he squeezed her against his chest. The idea that bullets had gotten anywhere close to his daughter filled him with cold terror. She squirmed in his grasp.

"Daddy, I no breathe." He instantly loosened his hold with an apology and a kiss to her forehead.

"Sorry, Sweetheart. Daddy's just real proud of you." He looked at Jo, Flack, and Sheldon; his eyes almost pleading. "I'm not stupid guys. I've been working this case from day one and I know so far we've got squat on these guys. Tell me they made a mistake this time."

Jo gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. She wished she could tell him that they knew the identities of the thieves and currently had officers enroute to rescue the hostages. Instead, she offered him what little hope she could. "Oh yeah, they made the biggest mistake in the world. They've taken one of our own. Now it's personal and we won't rest until we find them and get Lindsay back."

Danny's eyes flashed fire. Any trace of composure was quickly disappearing from his voice as it rose with every word. "That's the best you've got? Because it's personal they don't have a chance? To hell with evidence and clues? Great, if it being personal is all it takes to catch the bad guys, let's go get Lindsay right now cause it don't get any more personal for me. Damnit, Jo, don't hand me some platitude like it's going to make it better. I need the truth."

Lucy's eyes got wide at his angry shout and she buried her head into his shirt. Inwardly, he swore and took a deep breath, rubbing Lucy's back reassuringly. "Sorry, Baby. Daddy didn't mean to yell." Then he looked at Jo. "Sorry Jo, I get what you mean but I know how reality works. No matter how much we want to find them, unless they leave us something to wok with, it won't just happen. So did they?"

Sheldon sighed. He still couldn't believe this was happening. It was like some surreal nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. "Not yet. Danny, I know you are worried; hell, we all are. I don't want Lindsay in this mess any more than you do but it could work in our favor. Lindsay is tough and smart. She'll figure out a way to send us a clue if there's any way possible."

Danny shook his head and let out a bitter laugh that lacked any sign of humor. "Yeah, you know; you're absolutely right. No problem. Between being beaten, burned, and God knows what else they'll do to her, she'll just slip us the case breaking clue. Maybe she'll put it in the pocket one of the bodies of the hostages that will be dumped tomorrow. Is that what you are expecting?" Again he took in a ragged breath and stood. His body was fairly shaking with pent up rage and fear. "I gotta get out of here. I love you guys and I know you're trying to help but it's doing just the opposite."

Sheldon shook his head. "Danny, we didn't…"

"I know, Doc." Danny's voice was hard and just below shout level. "I just can't do this right now. I just can't. Leave me alone and let me take care of Lucy. It's almost noon so let me get her some lunch and the I'll get her settled at Ma's. After that, I'll come back to the lab and maybe by then all the platitudes won't piss me off so much."

Without waiting for their reactions, he turned to walk out. Jo shook her head. "He doesn't need to be alone. He's a ticking time bomb."

Flack nodded. He hated to see what this was doing to Danny. Hated how helpless the entire situation was making everyone, especially himself feel. At least when he was watching Lucy before Danny arrived, he had felt like he was doing something productive. "I'll go with him. I can't be much help here; maybe I can keep him from self-destructing or at least be there for Lucy if I can't." He followed his friend out of the bank.

Sheldon looked at Jo, concerned etched in his dark brown eyes. He'd seen Danny lose control before but something about this one was almost too much to bear. "Is Danny going to be okay?"

"Not by a long shot." Jo predicted. "Not unless a miracle happens and we find Lindsay unharmed."

Outside the bank Danny was standing at the rear passenger side door of the Avalanche, strapping Lucy into the built in child restraints. Once she was safely secured, he closed the door with a little more force than was needed. The anger and helplessness he was feeling had to have an outlet and he found himself kicking the truck's rear tire three or four times. He cocked his fist back and was about to plow it through the side glass when he caught himself. Instead he put his whole forearm against the glass and rested his head on top of his arm breathing heavily. Tears filled his eyes and his chest was tight with pain.

"Feel better?"

Danny turned to see Flack standing not two feet away watching him silently implode. He was just about to yell at his friend for not giving him what he asked for. He opened his mouth to scream, cuss, and rail at the world in general when his anger left leaving him suddenly exhausted. He leaned against the truck, embarrassed. "I'm sorry about in there. I shouldn't have unloaded on all of you like that. You all care about Lindsay as well and don't deserve my crap."

"Don't apologize, Danno. We all get it. We'd be more worried if you were taking this calmly. Get in and I'll drive."

Danny ran his hand through his short brown hair. "Nah, I'm okay to drive. I don't want to talk cause I'll just explode again. That's only going to upset Lucy more. I just need to be alone for awhile."

"So we don't talk. This is nonnegotiable, Danny. You are not okay to drive; you're barely holding it together and who can blame you? You're right, Lindsay is our friend and we're scared shitless but she's your wife and that trumps anything we may be feeling. I'll drive and if you need to explode, say the word and I'll pull over and let you out. You can step away from the vehicle and I'll watch Lucy until you get it back together again."

Reluctantly Danny nodded and climbed into the front passenger seat to tired and worried to argue any more. Recognizing just a small victory, Flack ran around to the other side and got behind the wheel. Fastening his seat belt, he looked over at Danny who had buried his head in his hands. Instead of asking where Danny wanted to go, Flack just drove aimlessly, no clear direction in mind, giving his friend time to decompress. After about ten minutes, Lucy piped up from the back seat.

"I hungry."

Flack looked at Danny not wanting to break his promise about not talking but having to address the current problem. "All I got are suckers which she seems to like but I think she probably needs something a little more substantial. Got any suggestions?"

Danny didn't answer but Lucy had her own ideas of what she wanted for lunch. "Can I have pizza, peas. Mommy promised."

Danny winced at the mention of Lindsay. He twisted in his seat to look at his daughter. "Lucy, how about we wait for pizza 'til Mommy's with us again? You know how much she loves it too." He could almost hear Lindsay chastising him for the promise he couldn't be sure he could keep. If they weren't able to find Lindsay in time, would he never let Lucy have pizza again? He cursed inwardly ready to give in if Lucy pressed the issue.

For a moment Lucy looked like she might pout about not getting the promised lunch. Her lip poked out and trembled and one large crocodile tear appeared at the corner of her eye. Then, as if sensing it wouldn't be a good time, the pout disappeared completely. "May I have a Happy Meal? Peas, I eat all my chi'ken b'for I play with the toy."

"Yeah sure, Baby. We can get you a Happy Meal." He looked at Don. "You mind?"

"Mickey D's it is. I could go for a Big Mac myself. What about you?"

"Not hungry." Danny said nothing else but turned to stare out the window. Flack wanted to argue with him, convince him that he needed to eat to keep up his strength but said nothing. Getting Danny through this crisis, no matter how it turned out was going to be more of a war than a one time skirmish. Winning the war would mean picking his battles carefully. If Danny didn't want to eat right then, he wouldn't push him. But he would make sure he ate something before the end of the day.

It didn't take Flack long to pull through the drive-thru and get a Happy Meal for Lucy and a Big Mac for himself. He ate as he drove, glancing up to the rearview mirror every now and then to see Lucy happily eating her chicken nuggets and fries. It amazed him that despite her abject fear earlier at the bank, she seemed to have completely recovered from the experience. He didn't kid himself; the longer Lindsay was missing, the harder it would be on the toddler but for now she believed her father when he said it was going to be okay.

By the time he pulled in the driveway at Danny's parents, both of them were through with their lunch and Danny hadn't said a word the entire trip. A quiet Danny scared him more than a volatile Danny but Flack kept to his word and didn't push his friend to talk.

Danny opened the console between the front seats and pulled out a package of Baby Wet-wipes. Flack raised an eyebrow and Danny looked a little sheepish. "Lindsay insists that we keep them in here just in case. I don't want my Ma to see the blood on Lucy. She'd only panic." He got out of the Avalanche and opened the back door. He made short work of cleaning up the blood, sticky sucker, and remnants of McDonalds with the aid of a couple of wipes. When Lucy was clean, he unfastened the straps and picked her up. He looked at Flack. "Can you wait here at least? The news is going to scare Ma enough as it is. If you come in, it's only gonna make it worse."

Flack promised and watched Danny carry Lucy up to the house. Twenty minutes later, he was back in the truck. Flack tried to ignore the tears he saw Danny wipe away. "Lucy okay to stay?"

"She was pretty upset with me for leaving. I tried to explain that I had to go find Mommy but I don't know if she really gets any of this. I don't know if she understands that Lindsay was forced to leave or if she believes Lindsay just left her."

Flack pulled out of the driveway and started back toward the crime lab. After his admission of concern about Lucy, Danny said nothing more. For awhile, Flack was okay with the silence, ready to listen if Danny wanted to talk or just be silent if he didn't. After about ten minutes, he couldn't take it any more. He didn't want to push things but he felt sure that his friend needed distracting before he exploded completely. "So I have to ask. Lucy is usually pretty close with her mispronunciations but how in the world did she get popsicle from hospital?"

He was glad to see a ghost of a smile momentarily cross Danny's features. "My fault actually. You remember a couple of months ago when Lucy fell at preschool and cut her head?" Flack nodded. He'd been working a crime scene with Danny when he got the call that he was needed at the emergency room. The young father was completely frantic as he left the scene. "Well, by the time I arrived, they had stitched her up and were ready to release her. I said something like 'let's blow this popsicle stand' not knowing the nurse had given Lucy a popsicle after they finished stitching her head. So now Lucy thinks the hospital is a popsicle stand. Lindsay was so mad at me. You know how she is about Lucy learning the proper names for things even if she doesn't pronounce it just right." His voice broke and he looked a bit frantic. "Pull over."

"What?" Flack looked around. They were crossing the Verrazano Bridge. He couldn't just pull over. "Dan…"

"You said all I had to do was say the word and you'd pull over. I'm saying the word, damn it. Find a way to pull over or I swear to God, I'll open the door and jump out."

With a deep sigh, Flack turned on his hazard lights and blue lights and pulled over as far as he could. The vehicle had barely stopped when Danny barreled out of the Avalanche and went to the side of the bridge. He shoved at the concrete as if he could move it and then sank to the ground. A sob burst past his control and he buried his face in his hands.

Flack joined him and sat beside him. He felt guilty; he'd hoped to distract Danny not upset him further. After a few minutes Danny wiped his face with the crook of his arm and looked at Flack. "I wasn't there that day when Lucy needed me. I was at a crime scene. I wasn't there today when both my girls needed me because I was at another damn crime scene. What kind of father or husband am I that I'm never there when it matters?"

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay slowly regained consciousness. Awareness came back to her in stages. First she was aware of sound. She could hear their captor yelling something at them but her brain wasn't processing the sounds into words. After that she was aware of motion or rather the lack there of; apparently the van had stopped moving. With her head enclosed in the heavy hood, she wasn't sure about her sight because everything was just dark. Consciousness came back fully with the awareness of pain. She couldn't decide which was worse - the pounding in her head from being hit or the painful burn in her stomach from the taser. Both were leaving her more than a little nauseated and she said a silent prayer that she wouldn't throw up while wearing the hood.

"I said get up you little Bitch." Hands tightly grabbed her arms and pulled her roughly to her feet. She wobbled, trying to regain her balance. The contents of her breakfast threatened to come back up but thankfully she managed to keep it down.

Walking with her hands secured behind her back in her disoriented state wasn't easy and several times, Lindsay felt herself being prodded along with a painful jab to her shoulder. She felt certain there would soon be a bruise there. The thought made her want to laugh. She knew what more than likely was in store for her and she was worried about a little bruise.

As if he were finally tired of urging her along, her captor slammed her against the wall. Her hands were pressed between her body and the wall and as her fingers brushed the concrete, she could tell the paint was flaking. Instinctively she tore off a piece of the paint, holding it in her fist. She had a DNA sample of one of the suspects under her fingernails from where she had scratched him earlier and now a paint chip of her current location. She didn't know what good either would do her but it made her feel better to have it; powerful, like she had some control over what was happening.

Hooded, she never saw the blow to her stomach until the wind was knocked out of her. She grunted in pain and reflexively curled inward but strong hands pushed her backward. A low voice growled. "You trying to piss me off, Bitch?"

"Trying not to fall down actually." Lindsay quipped before she thought about the consequences. Immediately as the words left her mouth she braced for another punch or retaliatory action. Silently she cursed her impulsive tongue for reacting without thinking. However, the blow she was waiting for never came. Instead, her captor merely laughed and his voice came right at her ear.

"I can see already I'm going to enjoy breaking you." He shoved her forward again.

At long last the herding came to an end and the hoods were removed. Lindsay blinked past the intrusion of light in her now sensitive eyes and tried to take in her surroundings. They were in what appeared to be a large warehouse. Checking on the others that were hostages, Lindsay saw that one of the men had a goose egg of a bruise on his right temple but the others appeared uninjured. One older woman was staring across the room and Lindsay followed her gaze and swore.

The five hostages from the previous robbery were sprawled on the floor in the middle of the room. No hoods but their hands were bound the same way hers were. Three of them were unconscious and only the slight rise and fall of their chests gave away the fact they were still alive. The one male of the group and a young blonde female were conscious but barely. She and one of the unconscious women were barely clothed anymore. Blood and bruises told the story of the sexual abuse they had endured at the hands of their captors. The man's face was swollen and bloodied. His right arm was horribly burned as if it had been roasted over a roaring fire. The visible injuries Lindsay was seeing were too horrific to catalogue. Had she been on duty at a crime scene, she probably could have stayed detached and unemotional. However this was too personal. Her body began to shake uncontrollably as she realized in just a few days that could be her lying there. The breakfast she'd so valiantly tried to keep down won the battle and she threw up on the floor next to her.

She had wondered after the second set of hostages had been found why the thieves had waited a day after the next robbery to dispose of the bodies of the previous hostages. Now she knew. It was just another form of torture for the new hostages. Giving them a glimpse of what was in store for them. She hated the five men who were holding her and the others hostage. Hated them for the power they wielded, for the helplessness they instilled in their victims.

"One week ago today, these five individuals were standing right where you are standing." The same man who had announced at the bank they were being taken hostage was now speaking from his place besides the other set of hostages. He appeared to be the leader. "Some, like yourself, already a little battered and bruised; some only witnesses to a glimpse of what we were capable of. They have provided us with great entertainment in the last week. Some, more than others."

Leaning down, he pulled the conscious female to her feet and kissed her brutally. Again, Lindsay realized it was mild compared to the other sexual offenses the woman had endured. The woman's body trembled but she didn't fight back; apparently she had no fight left. He broke off the kiss and pointed his gun at her head. Lindsay stiffened, anticipating what was about to happen. The leader grinned at their horrified expressions. "They have, however, outlived their usefulness."

Without another word, he pulled the trigger.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay in posting. I was having a hard time with this chapter for some reason. I knew where I wanted to go but getting there proved difficult. I'm still not thrilled with it but I think it'll get me to where I need to be for it to be better. I hadn't thought about the security feed until Afrozenheart412 mentioned it in a review but it was a good idea so I had to include it.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 3<p>

The five hostages from the previous week's robbery were dead. After the leader had shot the first victim, the other four captors had quickly followed suit. Three of the other current hostages had turned their heads to avoid the sight; only Lindsay and the elderly gentleman watched as the other four hostages from the previous robbery took their last breath. She had been unable to tear her eyes away and she couldn't explain exactly why. Part of her wanted to in some way to give the victims a compassionate witness to their demise. Nobody should die that violently with just their murderers looking on. At the same time though, their images kept merging with scenes from her past. Flashes of what she imagined it had been like when her friends had been killed in the diner interchanged with the actual memory of the night Shane Casey had entered her daughter's bedroom and held her hostage. She'd been forced to take his life that night to save her daughter. She kept seeing him fall from her gunshot.

The bodies lay where they had fallen, the smell of gunpowder permeating the air. Even though their captors faces were covered with ski masks, Lindsay could picture their sardonic grins as they exited the large room without a word. They hadn't needed words; their actions had conveyed everything they needed to say without a uttering a syllable. The message was clear, "we are in control and can do anything we want to do to you and you are powerless to stop us."

Once the five were alone, the young slender redhead sank to her knees sobbing. The older woman knelt beside her trying to comfort her as best she could without the use of her hands. The elderly gentleman who had, along with Lindsay, watched the executions, crossed the room, kneeling beside the victims as if checking to see if they were for sure dead. Lindsay stood watching him, feeling the texture of the paint chip in her hand, trying to figure out some way to save them. At long last, the man who had been hit in the van broke the silence.

"We can't just sit back and allow that to be us. When they come back in here, we gotta attack them right off. They won't know what hit them."

"Our hands are tied, literally." Lindsay argued. She broke her attention away from the dead hostages for the first time, unable to believe his idea. "Right now, there's nothing we can do. If we attack, all that's going to happen is that someone is going to get hurt. I'd be okay with that if it could be them that's getting hurt but it won't be. It'll be us. They are armed, both with the use of their hands and with real weapons that will put real bullet holes in us."

The redhead sniffled and looked up. "Maybe she's right; after all if we don't make them angry, maybe they won't hurt us. The police will find us soon; they have to, right?"

The man snorted. "You obviously haven't been watching the news; I have. You think the police are just waiting to bust in here and rescue us? I'm sure that's what those five over there thought last week when they were taken hostage. And the five before them. And the five before them. Fifteen people have already died waiting for the police to get off their hind ends and do their jobs. More if you count the ones who died in the banks they robbed. The Calvary isn't going to ride in here and rescue anybody. What's the worse they can do to us? Kill us? It's going to happen eventually anyway. At least it would be on my terms."

Lindsay bristled at his evaluation of the job the police had done so far. So often people expected the police to be miracle workers. Didn't anyone understand how tough their job was? She was about to open her mouth to defend herself and her coworkers but immediately closed it. Admitting she was a cop wouldn't be good, not even to her fellow captives.

"You think death is the worse they can do to us?" The older man finally left the dead victims and rejoined the group. "Those bodies over there tell the story of what could be worse than death. They aren't going to kill us until they are good and ready to kill us but they can make us wish we were dead a hundred times over. We just need to sit tight and try not to make them too mad until help arrives."

Sensing an impending argument, Lindsay stepped forward. "Look, we are all on the same side here. We can't fight amongst ourselves; we'll get enough of that from our captors. Maybe we should introduce ourselves. I'm Lindsay."

"Amanda. What about you, sweetheart; what's your name?"

The redhead used her shoulder to swipe at the tears making tracks down her face. "Carla. I don't want to die. I'm suppose to get married next month."

"Sam. I'm not going to just sit idly by and let them do what they want to any of us; not if I can do something to prevent it. What makes you such an authority, old man?"

The elderly man sighed. "Dr. Neil Waterson. I was a medic in 'Nam. I was on several missions to rescue POW's. I saw the same story over and over again. Instead of punishing the ones who fought back, their soldiers would retaliate by hurting the innocent. You fight back and they'll make life worse for the others, probably the women. I'm not saying we do nothing; I certainly don't plan to do nothing if they come after the women but we can't go out of our way to antagonize them."

Amanda shook her head. "I shouldn't say this, but maybe this time the police will find us. Our bank uses a tracking chip in case of robberies. It's in the special dye pack. It acts like a GPS tracking device. I'm sure the police will be able to use it to track us."

GPS system. The blow to the head and taser blast must have disoriented Lindsay more than she thought. She looked down to her purse where her phone was. By now Danny and the others would have activated the GPS locator on her phone. She inwardly swore. Her purse, with her phone, was missing. The captors must have taken it when she was unconscious. She knew about the GPS device Amanda was talking about. Two of the other banks robbed had used a similar system. Unfortunately in the modern day of internet search engines, secret ways of tracking criminals or lost items didn't remain so secret. Each of the other times, the thieves had dumped the tracking device before anyone could use it to track them down. However, admitting it was a dead end would only reveal her inside knowledge of the police investigation and crush the hope that was now forming in Carla's eyes.

Sam shook his head. "I wouldn't trust those yahoos at the NYPD to do anything except find a doughnut stand for their coffee break. If we are going to get out of here, it's up to us. Who's with me?"

Finally Lindsay had had enough. She still didn't want to admit to being a cop but she also couldn't stand there and listen to the man bash her profession. "Look, Sam. I don't know what your problem is with NYPD but I can tell you that they've been working their tails off trying to find out who's doing this. Putting off other cases and working long hours of overtime. If a coffee break is taken it's only to be able to stay awake in order to look for more clues. So get over the attitude cause it ain't helping."

Sam glared at her. "What do you know about it?"

"My husband is a crime scene investigator." That part was true enough; she didn't have to admit to being one as well. "He's worked 16 to 18 hour days seven days a week for the past couple of weeks. I can't tell you the last time we've been able to sit down to a meal together. He hasn't been able to tuck our daughter Lucy into bed or read her a bedtime story either. So don't stand there and make it seem like they are doing nothing. God, I can only imagine what he's going through right now." A sob caught in her throat preventing her from continuing. Without really thinking about it, she leaned her head on Neil's shoulder for just a moment, letting the tears fall.

"It's okay, Sweetheart. I'm sure Sam didn't meant to be a complete jerk; he's just not wanting to show how scared he is. I'm sure your husband is going to do all he can do to find you and the rest of us."

Lindsay sniffled. "Maybe we can help them."

Amanda cocked an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

"Part of the problem is that the robbers haven't left behind any evidence that leads to their identify. Sure, once they are caught, there's tons of evidence that's going to confirm that it's them but until then, nothing. I scratched one of them in the bank. I have his DNA under my fingernails and a paint chip of this building in my hand. If we can get that information to the crime lab, maybe they can find us before its too late."

"They can figure that out from that?" Carla had stopped crying and was staring at Lindsay in amazement.

"It's not a guarantee. The DNA is only good if he's in the system and the paint will only give them a basic idea but it's a better shot than anything else we have."

Amanda shook her head. "But how are you going to get it to them?"

"Oh, why don't we just call up Fed-ex and schedule a pick up." Sam laughed humorlessly. "You're asking us to put our trust in junk under your fingernail and a paint chip? No thank you."

Lindsay cut her head toward the dead bodies. "They'll dump those bodies tomorrow and the bodies will end up at the crime lab. We'll just have to make sure the evidence goes with them." She turned to Neil. "Can you reach in my back pocket? I put a few band-aids in there before my daughter and I left this morning. We were heading to the park and she's forever scraping something. I probably could reach them but I don't want to risk losing any of the evidence."

Turning so his hands were at her backside, the doctor fished the band-aides from her pockets. Between them they managed to get two of the Dora the Explorer bandages opened. She put the paint chip in the center of one and carefully folded it close. Then using a fingernail from the other hand, Lindsay managed to scrape out the material from beneath another one onto a second bandage. Then she closed it up as well. She needed a way to make sure neither bandage was overlooked or lost in the move. Biting her lower lip, she slipped her wedding band from her finger. A tear slid down her cheek as she used a third bandage to secure the other two to the simple gold band.

"How do you know they'll find it and realize it's evidence?" Carla asked awestruck.

Lindsay glanced at the dead bodies and took a deep breath. "I'll put it where it won't be missed."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Jo Danville stepped off the elevator into the crime lab. She was exhausted physically and mentally but she knew she had hours of work left. The bank had been a big crime scene to process especially since it was just she and Sheldon there to do the processing. Add in the emotional upheaval of knowing a friend and colleague was in danger and she was ready to go home, crawl into bed and stay there for a week.

She was worried about Danny. The way he had snapped at both her and Sheldon at the bank had been so unlike the young CSI but spoke volumes of the pain and anguish he was experiencing. She was glad Flack had volunteered to go with Danny.

She saw Mac in the break room and headed there. She had been surprised he hadn't shown up at the bank; his crime scene must have been more involved that he had expected. He looked up from the coffee he'd been pouring when she entered. Returning the carafe to the warmer, he offered her the cup.

"Here, you look like you need this more than I do. You okay? I hated having to leave it to you to break the news to Danny. Dare I ask how he took it?"

Jo shrugged. "I think I'm only missing an ear where he bit my head off. Actually, he reacted better than I would have thought, probably because of Lucy being there, but its only a matter to time. Mac, he's all to aware of what Lindsay could go through and how little we have to go on. A person can only take so much and he's just about there."

Mac sighed. He had known Danny for many years now and knew how emotional Danny was. It was what made him such a good CSI. But that passion could sometimes be his biggest weakness as well. "Where is he now?"

"He was going to take Lucy to his mother's. Flack's with him; he'll keep Danny from doing something crazy. He'll be back here once she's settled. God, Mac, that little girl broke my heart. You should have seen the way she clung to Flack like he was some sort of lifeline. She was better once Danny arrived but still you could see how upset she was. How do you explain something like this to a two-year-old? I don't understand it myself and I'm way past two."

There was a softening around Mac's eyes that occurred any time he talked about his goddaughter. "This won't be easy for her but she's a tough kid - she's got too much of both her parents in her. She'll be okay. Danny'll make sure of it even if he's not okay. We'll do our part by making sure we get Lindsay home to her in one piece."

He noticed that Jo was holding a cassette tape. "That the security feed?"

Jo nodded. 'What do you recommend? Danny's the one who's studied the other feeds; if there's anything on this one that will gives a lead, he'd be the one to be able to point it out. But he doesn't need to see this. We know they hit Lindsay. If Danny were to witness that…" She trailed off not needing to finish her sentence.

Mac shook his head. "Not a good idea. I'll watch the tape. If need be, I'll get Adam to pull the other feeds and compare all four. Danny can't work any aspect of this case. In fact, the state his head's going to be in, I don't want him working at all."

"Don't ask me to stay outta this, Mac. I can't. Lindsay's out there hurt and going through who knows what. I ain't sitting on the sidelines here." Danny had appeared at the door while Mac and Jo were talking. His eyes were red and it was obvious he'd been crying. But somehow he seemed a little calmer, more centered. Whatever Flack had done seemed to have helped.

Mac put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You're too involved, Danny."

"I can handle it." He looked at the cassette tape. "If there's anything new on that tape, I'll spot it."

Mac shook his head. "The only think you'll see on that tape if I let you watch it is your wife and daughter. You know what happened; why torture yourself by watching it?"

"I'm already seeing it." Danny admitted. "Mac, I had to clean Lindsay's blood off my daughter's face and I saw the bullet holes that came so close to taking Lucy away from me permanently. Those images have already put my imagination into overdrive. Seeing the reality can't be as bad as that. Time is ticking here, Mac. I know the hell my wife is going to go through if we don't find her quickly. Let me watch the tape. Maybe Lindsay left us a clue on the tape and I know her better than any of you. I'll spot it if she did."

Mac sighed. He couldn't dispute his logic but he still didn't like the idea at all. He leveled his gaze at Danny. "Don't make me regret this."

Danny nodded and took the tape from Jo. Mac followed him to the AV lab determined not to let the younger man watch the tape alone. The two men watched as the tape began to play. Danny stood in front of the screen, his arms folded across his chest. When the tape reached the point where the captor hit Lindsay, his jaw began to rock. When the bullets were fired into the island where his daughter had taken cover, he turned away, closing his eyes against the image. Mac stopped the tape.

"You okay?"

Danny shook his head trying to regain his composure. "I don't get it, Mac. Why'd he hit her? She didn't say anything to provoke him. There was no reason for it. Outside of the hostages and the ones killed in the heist, the robbers never hurt anyone during the robbery before. Why now, why Lindsay?"

Mac shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe their escalating; if they are, they are more apt to make a mistake."

Danny shook his head. "Nah, it was more than that. It was almost like that hit was personal, like he hated her or something. I've got a bad feeling but I can't figure out why. Start the tape again. We gotta finish it."

He returned to watching the feed. He was the one to hit the pause button once Lindsay was dragged out of the bank. "Did you see that?" He rewound the tape to the image of Lindsay struggling with her captor. "She scratched him. That means DNA. We gotta get back to the bank and search some more. Maybe she left his epithelials on the carpet. Maybe we can figure out who's doing this before they have a chance to hurt her anymore"

Mac caught Danny's arm. "Easy Danny. Hawkes and Jo already processed the bank They didn't find any trace on the floor."

Danny's eyes were almost wild now. "But they didn't know to look for this. Maybe they missed it. We gotta take a chance. It may be our only chance of getting my wife back alive." As he was about to leave the room, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID before he answered it. "Hey Ma. What's going on? Hang on, Ma, I can barely understand you." He listened for a moment and then paled. "I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up the phone and turned to Mac, his eyes huge and fearful. "I gotta go. Something's wrong with Lucy."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Author's note: Like I said at the beginning of the chapter, I'm not really happy with this chapter but I promise better with the next one. I don't think the emotions are as there as in previous chapters but I had to get the evidence on its way to the lab. Reviews are always welcomed.


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Well, I'm glad the last chapter wasn't a big disappointment. I'm feeling much better about this one. It just seemed to flow better. Warning, the end of this chapter has quite a bit of violence.

Disclaimer: I wish, but they don't.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 4<p>

Danny Messer paced back and forth in his childhood bedroom, gently rubbing circles on his daughter's back, trying hard to replicate the gentle rock and sway motion he'd seen Lindsay use with her a thousand times. It seemed to finally be working. Lucy was asleep, the death grip she'd had on him from the moment he arrived back at his parents had eased and she was limp against him. Occasionally she let out an audible snuffle as if to say she wasn't through being upset just taking a temporary breather.

He had heard her screaming in the background when his mother called but it was nothing compared to reality when he arrived. From what he'd been told, his mother had put Lucy down for a nap after he left. About thirty minutes into the nap, about the time he was having his mini-breakdown on the side of the Verrazano Bridge, Lucy had woken up screaming from an apparent nightmare. His mom had tried every tactic in the world to calm her down but nothing worked. After almost two hours of having the child scream and sob so hard she made herself physically sick, his mom had called him in for reinforcement.

Even his presence hadn't stemmed the tide much. Lucy Messer wanted her mommy and no one else would do, not even her daddy. For six straight hours, she had clung to Danny wailing and pleading for Lindsay. Danny's heart broke to hear his little girl beg and not be able to do anything to ease her pain. Now that she was asleep he could probably gently lay her down but he resisted the urge for fear of waking her and starting the whole cycle again.

This was a new experience for him. During Lucy's colicky times as a baby, Lindsay had been the one to walk the floor with her. It wasn't that Danny hadn't wanted to do his part but at the time he'd been confined to a wheelchair from the bar shooting. Now he could understand why Lindsay had looked so tired during those early months.

The bedroom door eased open and his mom stuck her head in. "The poor bambina finally wore herself out. I thought you had a set of lungs on you as a baby but you couldn't hold a candle to that one. You put her down and come down to the kitchen; I kept a plate warm for you."

Danny shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm fine. Maybe if she senses I'm here, it'll keep the nightmares at bay."

"You plan on walking the floor all night?" She didn't need her special mother skills to know how much her son was hurting. "Daniel, you wearing yourself out isn't going to help Lindsay. If you don't take care of yourself you can't take care of Lucy or Lindsay when she's rescued."

With a sigh, Danny leaned over and kissed his mother's cheek. "I'll be okay, Ma. As soon as Pop goes to bed I'll go downstairs with Lucy and stretch out in the recliner. We should both sleep comfortably there."

Mrs. Messer gave an almost unladylike snort. "Your father sure finds it easy to sleep in it. I'm sorry I had to call you from the lab. I know you want to be there if there's any news about Lindsay."

He shook his head. "You did the right thing. I can't really do anything there but worry everyone and get in the way. At least here I feel slightly less useless even if I'm not the one my daughter really wants."

She smiled and gently brushed a blond lock from Lucy's face. "Welcome to parenthood, Son. Who knew something so small and beautiful could make you feel so inadequate. Just watch, tomorrow it'll be like tonight never happened. I'll leave your plate in the microwave. Make sure you eat something."

"Thanks, Ma. I take it nobody called?" He had left his cell phone downstairs while he tried to get Lucy settled.

"Oh, I think everybody you work with has called at least twice checking on you and Lucy. Your friend Sheldon even offered to call in something to the pharmacy that would calm her down but I figured sometimes a body just needs to cry out the pain. But no, there's no news on Lindsay if that's what you are asking."

Lucy let out another snuffle but didn't wake up. Danny shifted her just a little on his shoulder to make her more comfortable but not even that woke her up. His mom, not wanting to take chances, left the bedroom with the admonishment to get her if he needed anything.

After another hour of pacing back and forth, Danny had to sit down. Seven hours of pacing had left his back sore and his feet tired. He eased down on the box seat in the window and rested his back against the wall. Looking down at his daughter's beautiful face, he was struck anew at how innocent she was. His eyes closed for just a second but popped back open when Lucy wiggled in his arms.

Her eyes fluttered as her mouth opened in a gigantic yawn. She looked around, her eyes once more brimming with tears. "Daddy, where's Mommy?"

Bending his head, Danny kissed her nose. "She's not here right now, remember?"

The little girl nodded. "The bad guys taked her away. But Daddy and Unc'a Mac and Unc'a Flat and Unc'a Doc and Unc'a Sid and Unc'a Adam, and Aunt Jo will finded her and bring her home, right? You'll 'rest the bad guys for hurting Mommy and taking her away. Mommy will come home and Mommy, Daddy, and me will eats pizza and play at the park." She yawned again and just as quickly as she woke up, she was back asleep again.

A couple of tears slipped down his cheeks. "You got it all figured out, don't ya, Little Girl? I wish it really was that simple. What are the two of us going to do if it all turns out differently?"

He returned to staring out the window into the darkness of the night. As he drifted off to sleep himself, he couldn't help but wonder where Lindsay was right then and if she was okay.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

At that very instant Lindsay was sitting on the floor of the large warehouse, her head resting on her drawn up knees thinking about Danny and Lucy. Had Lucy been okay after she left? Did she think Lindsay simply forgot about her and left her behind? How was Danny handling the news? She was pretty sure their friends would look after him but she also knew what a hard task that could be. Neither one of them were good at letting others past their carefully constructed barriers although they had both gotten better at letting each other in.

She wished she knew what time it was. Time seemed to have lost all meaning since the robbery. Her body suggested it was late but she couldn't be sure if her injuries and hunger had messed up her internal clock.

Their captors had not returned , to which she was grateful, and three of the hostages had already succumbed to sleep. She wished she could but she was too exhausted to allow sleep to wash over her. Neil was also awake but both sat in the silence unsure of any kind of conversation.

"It was smart of you not to tell them what you do for a living." Neil finally broke the silence, his voice barely above the whisper. "That kind of knowledge in the wrong hands will get you hurt. I don't think Amanda or Carla would knowingly give you away but I wouldn't put it past Sam when it gets tough."

Lindsay lifted her head from her knees in surprise. "What do you mean?"

His smile was bittersweet. "My wife and I have been married for forty-seven years and I don't believe the woman could tell you the difference between a stethoscope and a tongue depressor. You know too much about this crime stuff for your husband to be the only officer in your family. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Lindsay smiled her thanks and then Neil continued. "In your professional capacity, what do you think our odds are of them finding the evidence you hid?"

Lindsay considered his question. She'd been honest with everyone earlier that it wasn't a guarantee but she hadn't belabored the point either. However, Neil seemed to have a good head in an emergency. "Finding it? One hundred percent. Being able to use it to locate us? It's a crap shoot. Has our captor been in trouble with the police before so we have his DNA in CODIS? Is the paint chip unique enough to distinguish our exact location from the millions of buildings in New York? There's no way to know. Regardless, the odds are better than doing nothing at all."

Her stomach made its emptiness known and she blushed. Neil actually chuckled dryly. "Don't feel bad. Mine's been doing the same for a few hours now. From the looks of those bodies I'd say hunger is going to be the least of our problems. That's a pretty good size goose egg on your head. You doing okay from that? Any nausea or double vision?"

"Not since I threw up earlier. I'm sure it's fine. Not my first concussion, unfortunately. So, Dr. Waterson, what's your specialty?"

"Call me Neil or Doc Neil if you're so inclined. I'm a pediatrician. After the war, I wanted a happy job. I saw you with your daughter at the bank. I can only imagine how worried you are about her."

Tears brimmed her eyes. "I told her to hide in the island. She likes to play in there if I give her half a chance. When they fired those shots into it my heart just about stopped. I know she should have been down low enough that she wasn't hurt but how scary it must have been for such a little girl."

"Kids are pretty resilient. She'll recover from it quicker than you will. I don't know if my wife even realizes I'm missing yet. She suffers from Alzheimer's. I haven't been away from her for this long since her diagnosis."

Lindsay scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder in sympathy. It was the best she could do with her hands behind her body. For a few minutes, they just sat their silently comforting each other.

"Aw, isn't that sweet." The man who had chosen Lindsay had returned. He crossed the room and knelt down in front of Lindsay. "I think it's time we got to know each other a little better."

Standing he jerked her to her feet, laughing as she wobbled. Neil clamored to his feet beside her. "Leave her alone." He might work in the usually happy field of pediatrics but as a doctor he recognized the signs of rape that had occurred to the previous female hostages. He wasn't about to allow that to happen to Lindsay without a fight. The captor laughed and punched the older man in the stomach and then shoved him away. While Neil was on the ground, the masked man kicked him brutally in the ribs. Horrified, Lindsay stepped between the two men, protecting the doctor. "Stop. I'll go with you. Just don't hurt him any more."

His hand came around and caught her around the neck, pulling her along with him. He dragged her out of the room down a small hallway to a little room. Lindsay's heart skipped a beat when she realized the only furniture in the room was a wooden chair, a small cot, and a small bedside table. She had no delusions of what a fluoroscope would find on the flimsy sheets and blankets on that bed. A hard shudder ran down her spine at the idea that soon it could be her bodily fluids staining the material as well.

The door slammed behind them. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and couldn't suppress a whimper of fear when his lips kissed her neck and then nibbled on her ear. His hand came around her body and roughly groped at her breast. Tears ran down her cheeks and without thinking of the consequences she struggled in his arms, trying to pull away.

He laughed at her struggles and shoved her onto the bed. Before she could react, he was on top of her, flipping her over onto her back so that he was hovering directly over her. His mouth covered hers and his tongue pushed its way past her lips to explore the inside of her mouth. His right hand snaked under her t-shirt painfully groping her. Then his hand traveled south tugging at the button on her jeans. She closed her eyes as she felt the button pop open and the zipper come down. He broke off the intrusive kiss; his face no more than an inch from hers as he hissed at her. "What's the matter, pretty mama? Feeling out of control? Don't feel as powerful without your shield and gun?"

Lindsay's eyes flew open. He knew she was a cop? How? Did they have the large warehouse bugged and heard Neil and her talking? Had they seen her hide the evidence on the body?

"Surprised?" He laughed sitting up pulling her up to a sitting position as well. "Don't be. I knew you were a cop from the moment I saw you in the bank. Don't worry though, the others don't know. They'd kill me if they knew I knowingly brought a cop along as a hostage. They'd worry I was jeopardizing our mission. Like cops are that smart."

After several shaky breaths, Lindsay found her voice. "Do I know you?"

He pulled back and took off his mask. Had she not known the plan was to kill them eventually, the simple matter of him removing his mask would have terrified her more than anything. He had black hair, brown eyes, normal features and she had never seen him before in her life. "No, but I know you. After we dump the bodies, I go back and blend in with the crowd and watch the police do their job. I've seen you at several of the dump sites. You with your little silver case full of all kinds of scientific junk that's suppose to help you figure out who the bad guys are. You think you are so much smarter than we are, but you really aren't, are you? After all, if you were as clever as you seem to think you are, you would have figured out who we are before we could kill any more people."

Lindsay narrowed her eyes as she listened to his explanation. "You want us to catch you. That's why you took me hostage."

His hand cocked back in a punch that connected with her nose. Her head snapped back with the force of the blow. Immediately she felt blood begin to drip down her face. She was pretty certain her nose was broken. "I took you hostage cause I wanted to make you feel pain. It was cops like you that arrested my father when I was ten. He spent fifteen years in prison and when he got out he wasn't the same man he used to be. Do you know how painful it can be growing up and having to tell the kids at school your father is in jail? Nobody wanted to be friends with the jailbird's kid. Do you know how much that hurts?"

"So you decided to follow in your father's footsteps? I bet he's really proud." Lindsay knew it was dangerous for her to goad him this way but if it got her information she could use, then it could be worth it.

His eyes flashed with anger and he fumbled in the drawer of the table. He came out with a powerful looking stun gun. Without hesitation he jammed it in her ribcage just under her breast and pulled the trigger. She screamed as the jolt of electricity coursed through her. He only depressed the button for a few seconds but once he pulled it away, Lindsay fell over in the bed crying in pain. He growled. "Proud? You think he's proud? No, he thinks his son is soft and wimpy because he wasn't there to make him hard. What do you think Pretty Mama, am I soft and wimpy?"

He put the stun gun against her left thigh and pushed the button again. Her leg jerked reflexively as the electricity caused the glucose in her leg muscle to turn immediately to lactic acid. There was no trace of humanity in his eyes as he seemed to relish the pain she was experiencing. He set the stun gun aside and hauled her to her feet. As he released her, she tumbled to the floor, her leg unable to support her weight. With her hands bound behind her back, she was unable to reach out to catch herself and she landed hard on her side. Her eyes closed against the pain so she didn't see his foot coming until it connected solidly against her ribs. The first kick was followed by several more. Some hit her in the ribs, others in her thigh, and still other's connected with her upper chest.

Unconsciousness was just about to leave her when the door opened and a head poked its way in. "Hate to interrupt your fun but John says its time to load the bodies and go dump them."

"On my way." He hauled Lindsay to her feet and this time held her up so she didn't fall again. When it was once more the two of them, he pulled her close so he could whisper in her ear. "The sad thing is, Dad is right. I am soft and weak because you were right; I do want to be caught. I just don't have the guts to do it myself."


	6. Chapter 5

Author's notes: This chapter will once again focus more on the case but I'm happier with the way this one came out. The evidence Lindsay hid will be found but will it be in time?

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 5<p>

Lindsay thought she had felt pain before, would have sworn before now that childbirth was the ultimate in pain. However nothing she'd ever experience held a candle to the pain she was currently feeling. After her captor had been called away, he had dragged her by the hair back into the room with the others. She had lain where he dropped her, curled up in as much of a ball as she could manage. Everything hurt and her breath was coming in painful grasps. She could hear the sounds of what was going on around her enough to piece it together without seeing it. The other captives were awake and their reaction to her appearance apparently scared and sickened them from their gasps and swears. The captors promised to return soon.

Once the captors had left, Neil had scooted closer to her. "Lindsay, sweetheart, let me see."

She shook her head ever so slightly not wanting to move lest it caused the pain to worsen. After what seemed like an hour of coaxing on his part, she finally gave in and rolled over on her back. Her nose was still bleeding where he had punched her and it felt like her whole face was swollen to twice its normal size. Her chest and ribs felt crushed and she wasn't sure how much of the pain came from the kicks or the stun gun blasts. She had a feeling it was more from the kicks because even though her thigh was sore, it wasn't nearly the same kind of pain.

Neil could only hazard a guess as to her injuries based on what he could see but he was pretty sure she had a broken nose as well as broken ribs. With his hands secured behind his back, he was powerless to do anything to try to treat her wounds. His anger at the mistreatment she'd obviously endured grew when he noticed the undone nature of her jeans. He had known from the condition of the bodies of the other females that sexual assault was a real possibility for at least Carla and Lindsay. He leaned close to her ear.

"Did he rape you?"

Again, she gave just the slightest shake of her head. She appreciated his concern but she didn't want to talk; she didn't want to move; all she wanted to do was curl back up and sleep away the pain. The part of her that was forever a cop told her to push the pain aside to concentrate on her captor's parting words to her in the room. But the cop would have to wait until her body was able to process the pain a little better. Ignoring the others, she allowed her body to sink into welcoming numbness of sleep.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

The first rays of sunshine were just coming up over the horizon when Danny Messer rolled his Harley out into the street. He didn't want to crank it in the driveway for fear of waking his parents up. For a moment he felt like a teenager again, sneaking out of the house at night to meet friends and get into trouble. He was an adult now and he wasn't sneaking out to get into trouble but to keep from getting into it.

He'd woken up about thirty minutes earlier with a horrible ache in his back from sleeping all night sitting against the wall in the window box seat and with a twenty five pound little girl doing push-ups on his chest. As his mother had predicted, Lucy showed no sign of the meltdown from the night before. She was her usual affectionate, sweet natured self. He'd taken her downstairs and given her a banana to tied her over until his mom woke up and cooked the mountain of food he knew she'd fix for breakfast. As she munched on her piece of fruit, Danny had casually gauged her reaction while asking her if she was okay if he went to work today. She'd looked up at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Of course you go to work, Daddy. You no find Mommy sitting around here. Today her needs you more cause she'll be scared being away from you and me this long."

After she finished her banana, he got her settled in the living room in front of the TV with a tape full of Dora the Explorer cartoons on it. He knew it would keep her entertained until his mom woke up. Giving her a hug and a kiss, Danny left his mom a note, grabbed his cell phone, and left the house.

It wasn't that he was worried that his mother would disapprove of him going to work but he was certain that she wouldn't let him leave without first shoveling a plate full of food down his throat. He'd been more than willing to leave the investigation in the team's capable hands the night before when his daughter needed him but now that she was fine and even insisting that he go, he didn't want to waste the time it would take waiting for his mother to cook breakfast. So thus, he was pushing his motorcycle down the street before straddling it and cranking it.

He was glad that he had stored the bike at his parents' house now. He didn't have much time for riding any more since he was married with a child and plus the new apartment he and Lindsay had moved to after the Shane Casey incident didn't have a convenient place to store it like the old place had.

He wondered as he drove in the direction of the lab if the body dumps had been called in yet. He thought about what they knew about the other drops. The day after the second robbery, the five victims had been dumped in three different locations. They discovered two bodies at two of the dump sites and the final victim alone at the third site. Three separate 911 calls had been made within ten minutes of each other directing the police to the bodies. As he crossed the Verrazano Bridge, he wondered who had made those calls – an innocent bystander who had stumbled over the bodies or one of the thieves. He wasn't sure if it was a lead anybody had pursued.

Once at the lab, he parked his bike in the garage and walked to the elevator. He had felt his phone vibrate while he was driving but couldn't answer it while on the bike. Now he saw he had missed a call from his mom. He almost ignored the notification that he had a new voicemail but worried that Lucy might have had another meltdown after he left, he dialed into his voicemail.

"_Daniel Anthony Messer, don't think I don't know what you are doing. Your supper plate is still in the microwave untouched and Lucy told me you didn't eat anything before you left. You cannot be there for Lindsay if you pass out from hunger in the meantime. You'd better eat something, young man; if I find out you haven't…well, let me just remind you that you are not too big for me to take you over my knee. But don't worry about Lucy; she's happily watching her show while eating pancakes and bacon. See what you miss when you skip out before breakfast?"_

Danny hung up the phone with a dry chuckle. He knew his mother meant well and was only worried about him. The elevator ride up to the 35th floor seemed to take forever even though it made no stops along the way. The lab was eerily quiet when he stepped out of the elevator. He expected Mac or Jo to pop out at him as soon as he reached the floor, chewing him out for being there but neither seemed to be around. He took advantage of their absence to head to the locker room for a quick shower and a change of clothes that he kept there. As a father, he wasn't repulsed by the fact that his daughter's dried snot from crying had crusted on his shoulder sleeve but he had a feeling others might be.

Once showered and changed, he started to look for someone on the team so he could get a report. The only one he found was Adam in the break room. The younger man seemed surprised to see Danny and gave him a brotherly hug of greeting.

"Danny, wasn't expecting to see you. How's my favorite little ankle biter today?"

"I'd be doing better if you told me we had something more than when I left last night."

Adam audibly gulped, opened his mouth to say something, closed it again, and then stumbled over his words. "I um, well, I meant Lucy."

Danny gave a smirk to let him know he was joking. Perhaps if he acted enough like his normal self, he'd eventually believe everything was normal instead of his whole world turning upside down. "She's better. I think it was a combination of the shock of what happened to pure exhaustion but she was one unhappy little girl last night. This morning, no sign of the tears, thankfully. Seriously though, anything new?"

"Just like the last two times, we got the 911 calls about two hourx ago. Mac, Jo, and Hawkes each headed to a different location with CSI's that Mac called in from another department. I'm just waiting for the first wave of evidence to come in." Adam shifted uncomfortably as if anticipating Danny's next question. "I don't know the locations of any of the dump sites so don't even ask me."

Danny shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Listen Adam, I was thinking on the way over here; have we analyzed the 911 calls to see who made them?"

Adam thought about the question. "The calls were all anonymous and came from disposable cell phones. That's as far as the trail went though."

Mulling that over, Danny asked. "You think you could bring up the calls and analyze the voices to see if they match?"

Adam started leading the way to the AV lab. "Sure, you thinking the calls came from one or more of the robbers?"

"Wouldn't be the first time. It's worth a shot. I know Mac'll have my head if I tried to find the dump sites and go there. But I can't just sit around and do nothing." Danny admitted.

Adam sat at a computer and began to pull up files. He jerked his head toward another chair. "Might as well pull up a seat. This will take awhile."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Sid Hammerback loved his job as a medical examiner. To most people it seemed like an odd job to love. A necessary job to be sure, but not a job that a person could be passionate about, most people would argue. Yet argue with that statement Sid would. After completing an autopsy, there's not much he couldn't tell you about the last few hours or days of a person's life and more importantly their death. He could bear witness to any number of stories the dead had to tell; stories that would be left untold if it weren't for him or other medical examiners. Yes, Sid loved his job - usually.

Today, wasn't one of those days. The last three weeks he'd seen too many bodies with very similar stories cross his table. The last chapters of those stories, where the killer was revealed and arrested, had remained not only unfinished but completely blank. As he stared at the body of the once beautiful blonde woman currently awaiting him on the table, he found himself, for the first time in a long time, reluctant to perform his job. It was nothing about the woman herself. A glance of the paperwork that came in with the body revealed her name to be Mandy Herrington. She was 27 years old. No, it wasn't the woman at all; it had more to do with what he saw when he looked at her. Instead of blonde hair and blue eyes, he saw honey brown hair and warm chocolate eyes. He looked at Mandy Herrington and saw Lindsay Messer.

He wanted to stay optimistic that they would find Lindsay before she arrived on his table. The team would do everything to make sure she was rescued in time but his job told the brutal truth that sometimes your very best wasn't good enough. It was never easy to perform an autopsy on a person you knew and loved. But if the worst happened and they didn't find Lindsay until it was too late, he wouldn't be able to walk away no matter how painful it was. Just like when Jess Angell had been killed, he wouldn't trust anyone else to do the job. But he would hate every minute of it.

"Dr. Hammerback, got two more for you." Two techs rolled two gurneys into the room. Within minutes, the bodies had been unwrapped from the black body bags and laid out on the autopsy table. A male and a female this time. Sid looked at the two females and the male and decided to start with the one that didn't make him think as much of Lindsay.

COD was obviously a single gunshot wound to the head, just like the other victims. Sid gave a cursory exam of the entrance room but something didn't seem right. He pulled a magnifying glass closer and gently probed the room.

"What do we have here?" Something was in the wound track. He grabbed a pair of tweezers and an evidence jar. After he had removed the foreign object from the track and placed it in the jar, he stared at it in utter confusion. Putting the evidence on the tray next to the autopsy table, he removed his gloves and went to the phone. He dialed Mac's number.

"Mac, I have something you need to see."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"How did we miss this?" Adam stared at the computer screen in amazement. Nine different voice samples were stacked side by side and each told the same story. The same male voice had made all nine calls.

Danny covered his face with his hands. His back was still aching from the pacing he did the night before and the awkward way he slept. He'd taken a couple of ibuprofen earlier but it wasn't helping much. He looked up. "I don't know. Truth is, I don't know that it really helps. It doesn't get us one step closer to knowing who he is or how to find him. It's just another piece that we have that will help us link him to the crimes once we do catch him."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "What if he did more than just call in those 911 calls?"

Danny looked at Adam considering what he said. "What are you thinking?"

Adam had helped process a few scenes but mostly did his work in the lab. That didn't mean he didn't want to spend more time in the field. "Don't some criminals blend with the crowds at crime scenes sometimes?"

Standing so abruptly that he almost knocked the seat over, Danny fled the room. Adam's jaw dropped in confusion. Had he said something to upset his friend? He got up and followed Danny down the hall to the lab with the table computer that made it easier to look at crime photos. Danny was already pulling up files from previous crime scenes.

Adam shook his head. "What are you looking for?"

"Crime scene photos from the dump sites. We usually take a few crowd shots for that very reason. It's a long shot; I mean we have nine different dump sites happening in threes. But if taking chances at long shots helps us find Lindsay, then let's do it."

"What's going on here?" Mac Taylor stood in the doorway. He was only half surprised to see Danny at the lab; nothing short than Lucy still being in distress would have kept him away. But he still wasn't happy about seeing him handle evidence.

Danny didn't answer but continued to pull the needed photos. Stammering with nervous energy, Adam explained the discovery of the 911 calls being the same person and the hope that they could find the same face at more than one crime scene. Mac sighed. He also recognized what a long shot this was. Even if they found a commonality in any of the photos, it was no guarantee that it would be one of the robbers or that the knowledge would get them any closer to rescuing Lindsay. Still, it was a way to keep Danny involved without jeopardizing the case.

"Let me know what you discover." He was about to leave the lab when his phone rang. Seeing Sid's number on the caller id, he answered. "Taylor."

"_Mac, I have something you need to see."_

"I'm on my way." It only took him a couple of minutes to get to autopsy. Walking in, he saw Sid standing over a table staring at something in a dish. "What do you have?"

"I pulled this out of the wound track of the our vic here. It appears to have been inserted postmortem but I'm at a loss to explain it."

Mac peered down and frowned. It was obviously a small wedding band with something attached to it. Snapping on latex gloves, he picked up a swab and cleaned the inside of the band and held it under the microscope. Recognition flashed in his eyes as he read the inscription.

DM 3 LM 3/11/09

"This is Lindsay's wedding ring." He would know the inscription anywhere; he'd been with Danny when he bought the bands before suprising Lindsay at the City Clerk's office two years earlier. "The engraver offered to turn the heart the right way but for some reason Danny insisted on the sideways one."

Sid shook his head. "What does it mean?"

"He wouldn't explain it to me. Said Lindsay would understand it." Mac shook his head as he tried to figure out what was attached to the band. Once again he gently wiped away blood to reveal a cartoon figure with a big head. He recognized Dora from the many toys Lucy had with the cartoon character on them. "Are those band-aids?"

Sid looked through the magnifying glass. "It does appear to be. I meant what does the the presence of the ring and the bandages mean?"

A slow grin spread over Mac's face as he realized the ingenuity of his CSI and friend. "I think it means she's sending us a clue. I'm going to get this up to Trace."

His phone buzzed again alerting him to a text message. He looked down to read the message from Jo.

**Turn on the news. We have a MAJOR problem.**

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"I'm so hungry." Carla's voice was plaintive and bordered on whiney. In any other circumstances it would have been an annoying tone but everyone there understood and echoed her complaint.

"Doc, you sure she's okay over there?" Sam actually sounded concerned.

Lindsay wasn't sure how long she had slept when she was once more aware of the voices of her fellow captives. With a groan she opened her eyes as much as her swollen face would allow. She started to try to sit up but the first wave of pain kept her where she was. "I'm 'kay."

Neil wasn't convinced. "I don't like the way you are breathing."

She didn't like the pain that every breathe caused. "At this point I'm just glad to be able to breathe. Have our not so friendly hosts come back?"

"Not that we've seen." Amanda answered. "I saw those bodies and I knew it was going to be bad but looking at you now I'm terrified about what's going to happen. How long do you think it'll take your husband and his coworkers to find us once they find the evidence?"

"Not long to find it but deciphering what it can tell them might take awhile. This is going to get worse before it gets better. I don't want to scare you but you need to be prepared. These guys like causing pain and they are good at it. I couldn't stop him from hurting me but I do have control of letting him break me. I'm going to believe that no matter what they do to me, we are going to be rescued before they kill us. I have to hang on to that belief."

With a loud bang, the five captors returned. They could hear them coming down the hallway in an apparent argument. They weren't wearing their masks anymore which further emphasized that they didn't plan on letting the out alive.

The leader was furious as he began to shout at them waving his semi-automatic. "Which one of you is it? Which one of you is the cop?"


	7. Chapter 6

Author's notes: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I love getting your feedback and your reviews make my day.

Disclaimer: still don't own them.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 6<p>

Just like earlier when she discovered her captor knew the truth about her job, Lindsay's heart dropped. How had they discovered the information? Her current pain might seem like nothing compared to what it the leader could inflict upon her in his current state. Nobody said anything as they stared at the captors in stunned silence.

He jerked Carla to her feet and slammed the gun against her head threateningly. "I asked a question and I want an answer now. I just happened to see a news report that sources inside the mayor's office had confirmed that one of NYPD's finest had been among the hostages taken in yesterday's bank robbery. So, once more, which one of you is it?"

With only a moment's pause, he handed the semi-automatic to one of the other captors and pulled out a rather large hunting knife. He held it against Carla's cheek, drawing a fine line of blood in the process. "Admit it now or we'll see how many times I can cut her without killing her."

Lindsay was just about to roll over to her stomach and push herself up when Neil awkwardly rose to his feet. He drew himself up to his full height. "I am."

The leader pushed Carla aside and grabbed Neil by his jacket. "Do I look stupid, old man? You passed retirement age for NYPD's standards decades ago. Do not waste my time. Who is it?" He pushed him down again. He looked around. "Baby girl might could be a meter maid but I can't see her risking her perfectly manicured fingernails chasing after criminals. Your tag pegs you as a bank employee. That leaves just two of you. My money is on big man over there."

"I'm the cop." Lindsay admitted. She couldn't risk anyone else getting hurt in her place. By now she had managed to make it to her knees but her strength was completely gone. The leader knelt down beside her, grabbing a fistful of hair.

"I guess you think you are something, huh? What, you couldn't get any clues as to who we were so you thought getting yourself kidnapped would help your buddies find us? It ain't happening, Copper. At the end of the week, you'll be just as dead as the others and your friends will still be in the dark as to who we are. Maybe I'll give you a little of my extra-special attention in the meantime; make sure they never forget me after seeing what's left of your dead body." Using his knife he sliced the right sleeve of her t-shirt exposing her shoulder.

"Leave her alone." The order surprising came from the man who had chosen Lindsay as his captive. "You made the rules, John. We can do anything we want to our chosen hostage but not to anyone else unless invited. I haven't even had a chance to sample her yet; I got interrupted earlier when I was getting to know her. I don't want to share."

Lindsay was too close to the man's face to miss the abject rage flash in his eyes. Just as quickly as the anger sparked, it left and he shoved Lindsay toward her. "Far be it from me to ruin your fun. You want her; you got her." He once more pulled Carla to her feet. "Come on, Baby Girl. Let's see if I'm going to want to share you."

Carla screamed as she was dragged down the hall. The two men and Amanda hung their heads, realizing what was in store from the young woman. Lindsay also found herself being dragged back down the hall. Every movement caused the pain in her chest and ribs to intensify. Once more she was shoved into the same little room and onto the same little bed. The door slammed behind them.

"I can't hold him back forever. He hates cops worse than I do."

Her heart was beating too fast and her head was spinning. Events were spinning out of control so fast, she couldn't keep up. Having processed so many of the previous victims, she knew that rape was a very real possibility although she had tried to push the thought far from her mind. However, now it was becoming almost impossible not to think about. Her fear must have been reflecting in her eyes, cause the man laughed.

"Relax, pretty mama; I'm no rapist."

Lindsay snorted and then regretted the maneuver when it increased her pain. "Right, I've seen the bodies remember?"

"Was every woman raped?" He sat in the wooden chair opposite the bed almost as if they were two friends having a normal conversation.

Narrowing her eyes at him, Lindsay shook her head. "You know they weren't."

"None of the victims I chose were raped. There's not much I won't do but I don't need to force myself on a woman to get sex. As much as I hate pig, you aren't going to be my first either. However, now that I've made such a big deal about this with John, I gotta make this look good." Rising from the bed he pushed her down on the bed and once more straddled her. His mouth hovered directly over hers, hatred darkening his eyes. "Don't worry, it won't hurt much."

Despite his declaration that he wouldn't rape her, when his mouth once more captured hers in a brutal kiss, Lindsay couldn't help but react. Without a thought of the consequences, she swiftly brought her knee up, catching him in the groin. When he jerked back in pain, she used her raised knee to kick him backwards. As he lay on the floor she spat his own saliva back at him.

He lay on the floor, stunned. "What did you do that for, Bitch? I told you I wasn't going to rape you."

Lindsay was breathing hard, each breath more painful than the last. "Just trying to make it look real."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Mac Taylor, Jo Danville, and Don Flack were standing in Mac's office around a computer screen. Jo had pulled up a tape of the news report that channel 14 had ran earlier that morning. After getting Jo's text message, Mac had dropped off the evidence with Sheldon with an admonishment to alert him once he knew anything. Then he found Jo and Flack to get a report. Jo had lead them to the office and inserted the tape.

A male reporter stood outside of City Hall with a microphone. "_Channel 14 is bringing you this exclusive report. So far no one in the mayor's office or at NYPD will make an official statement but sources inside City Hall have confirmed that one of the hostages taken from the First National Bank of Manhattan yesterday was indeed a decorated officer from within the NYPD. No word on the actual identity of the officer or how fellow officers are taking the news but we will have more for you on this developing story as soon as it becomes available. This is Finn Bestly with this Channel 14 News that Matters exclusive_."

Mac picked up a paperweight from his desk and threw it across the room in anger. It fortunately hit the one wall not made of glass and clattered to the floor. He pointed to the TV. "I want to know how that information got leaked and I want to know now. For once Sinclair and I were on the same page in knowing that it was in Lindsay's best interest not to release any mention of a officer being involved to the media. If the thieves happened to be watching that news broadcast…" He trailed off not wanting to voice the dark thoughts that had come to mind.

"A judge already issued a gag order against Channel 14 to keep them from running the story. I've also talked to the other local news and have been assured that none of them plan on carrying the story unless they get the okay directly from you. Nobody at the mayor's office has a clue how Bestly got the story." Flack explained.

"Bestly knows." Jo offered. "A one minute blurb on one station in the middle of the day; could we hope that our thieves missed it?"

"Hope is all we have right now. We can also hope that someone else doesn't find out about it." Mac looked toward the lab where Danny was still pouring over the crime scene photos. "He's holding it together better than I would have ever believed but just barely. I don't want to even think about what this knowledge will do to him." He looked at Flack. "Bring in Bestly and find out how he got his information. If we have a leak, I want it plugged before any more information gets out."

Flack nodded and left. Jo looked at Mac. "I could say the same about you, you know." At his quizzical expression, she explained. "You're holding it together better than I would have believed but barely. How are you really? I know how close you and Lindsay are."

Mac sighed and perched on the corner of his desk. He hadn't slept much at all the night before as he tossed and turned worrying about the young woman. "I know what its like to lose a wife. It's been almost ten years and some days the pain of losing Claire is still as fresh as the day that she died. I look back at every moment we spent together and I regret that it wasn't more. I know she loved me and that she knew how much I loved her; I've never doubted that. But no matter how many times I told her I loved her or held her or kissed her, I now know it wasn't enough. I look at Danny and Lindsay and I recognize that same kind of love. I don't want Danny to go through that same pain. We have to find Lindsay in time. There's no other option."

Jo had never heard Mac talk so openly about his wife before. She knew the story, of course, but it was different hearing about the personal side of it from Mac himself. "You think Danny and Adam will find something in those crime scene photos?"

Mac looked back toward the lab Danny was using. "Honestly, right now I believe our best hope is wrapped up in a couple of Dora the Explorer band-aids. I just hope Bestly hasn't pushed up our time table for being able to find her."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Finn Bestly was a cocky, arrogant SOB. All it had taken to get him to the station was a phone call from Flack. Once the detective had told Bestly that he wanted to talk to him about the hostage story, the reporter had jumped at the chance to come in. Flack realized once the man arrived that Bestly actually believed he was about to get confirmation and additional information for his story.

"Detective Flack, I'm glad you called me. What information do you have for me?"

Flack folded his arms across his chest. "You won't be so glad in a few minutes. Follow me."

He led Bestly down the hall to an interrogation room. Closing the door behind them, Flack pointed to a chair on the opposite side of the table and told Bestly to sit. Normally he would also sit at this point. He found that a casual, relaxed demeanor sometimes disarmed a suspect and made it easier to get information. He couldn't do that this time. It was taking every ounce of self-control not to slam the cocky reporter against the wall and beat the information out of him.

"You reported earlier that you had sources inside City Hall that gave you information about the hostages from the robbery. I need to know who those sources are."

Bestly laughed. "I do not have to reveal my sources to you. Is that why you brought me down here? To question me about my sources? I thought you wanted to give me information about the officer who is being held hostage. I have to have a report ready for the six o'clock news."

"There's not going to be a report on the six o'clock news; not about this anyway. Your station has already received a gag order from Judge Hendricks. You are going to give me the name of your source and then I'm going to decide exactly what charges I'm going to arrest you for."

Bestly stood allowing the chair to fall behind him. "Arrest me? For what? I have a right and an obligation to report the news. You can't arrest me for that."

In a split second, Flack was against the table and wanting to go over the table and grab Bestly. "Sit down. You reporters that hide behind the excuse that you have a right to mess up people's lives and call it your job make me sick. Do you realize what danger you put all the hostages in today? You have an obligation to report responsibly. Now I'm going to ask you one more time, where did you get your information?"

Bestly picked up the chair and sat back down, leaning back arrogantly. "You want to know? I'm a city beat reporter. I hang out at City Hall and report on any crummy story that comes through the building. Nobody pays attention to what I have to say - until today that is. I overheard the Mayor's assistant telling the mayor that an officer had been taken hostage during the robbery. Several other reporters were standing there as well. I had to move fast or every other network would scoop me. I couldn't believe my luck when I not only beat them to the punch but had the exclusive. Do you know what a coup that is for me? I could make anchor for this story."

Flack ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Coup? What kind of coup is it to take an unsubstantiated story and run it without checking your facts? That's not a coup, that's irresponsible reporting. You want to know why you had the exclusive? The other reporters had the brains to know how dangerous leaking that story could be. You've got sadistic killers out there and you've just told them they have a cop in their midst. What do you think they are going to do to her?"

Instead of looking contrite, Bestly leaned forward. "The cop is female? Is she married? What does her family think of the situation?"

Unable to stop himself any longer, Flack reached over the table and grabbed the reporter by his shirt. "Stop with the questions. Once I'm through with you, the only question you'll be able to ask is 'do you want fries with that?' Your reporting days are over."

Bestly rolled his eyes. "Hardly. My station isn't going to fire me; they are going to promote me. Our ratings after my news brief skyrocketed. And after I do a piece on the police brutality I'm experiencing…" He let the threat trail off.

"It will happen. I don't care how your ratings skyrocketed today; what do you think's going to happen when your station is blacklisted at every city event or press conference? Our chief has already talked to the mayor and he agrees. How long that lasts depends on how long they keep you. And no station is going to risk having the same penalty by hiring you. But losing your job is least of your worries."

Finally Bestly was starting to look a little worried. "What could be worse than losing my job?"

"How about jail? If our officer is injured because of your story, the DA will bring chargers holding you culpable. Or maybe I'll just let her husband have ten minutes alone with you. I'm sure he'd want to tear you from limb to limb, maybe feed some of your body parts to you with a little salt and ketchup. I don't think we'd find a jury in the world would convict him if he did."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when Danny finally took a break. He hadn't found anything in the crime scene photos but that didn't mean the thieves hadn't been there, just that they hadn't shown up in the photos. He poured himself a cup of coffee and set it on the table. Then he opened the refrigerator. His lunch from the day before was still sitting on the top shelf. Knowing he needed to eat something, he took it out and pulled his sandwich from the ziplock bag. He took a bite of the ham and cheese sandwich and started to chew.

It felt like the single bite seemed to grow instead of get smaller the more he chewed. But at last he was able to swallow and took another bite, hoping it would go down better. It didn't. Finally he spit it out and threw the rest of the sandwich away. He just couldn't eat knowing that somewhere Lindsay was slowly being starved to death.

"There you are." Sheldon Hawkes joined him at the table. "Remember yesterday when you said something about Lindsay slipping a clue in the pocket of one of the bodies? You were wrong."

Danny hung his head. "Doc, I'm sorry about that. I had no right snappin' at ya like that."

"She didn't put it in the pocket. She put it in the bullet wound."

Confused, Danny looked at this friend and shook his head. "What do you mean? What did she put in the bullet wound."

"This." Sheldon held out his hand revealing the wedding band. Danny's breath came in hitches as he reached out and took it from Sheldon. Turning it over in his hands, tears sprang unbidden to his eyes and slipped down his cheeks. He clutched it in his hand and rushed from the room without a word. Confused, Sheldon started to follow until he saw Mac motion to him that he would go after him.

Danny flew into the locker room just as he could hold the sobs back no longer. Protectively clutching the small band of gold in his hand, he punched his own locker several times before turning and collapsing to the floor.

That's where Mac found him a moment later. He sank down next to him and pulled him into a comforting hug. It reminded him of the night he had arrived at the hospital after Louie's attack in time to comfort a distraught Danny. After several minutes Danny was able to speak.

"She's given up Mac. She doesn't believe we're going to find her time.."

Mac shook his head. "How do you figure that?"

"Because of this." Danny held up the ring. "We promised each other the night we got married that we were in it for the long haul. Now that the rings were on our fingers, it was forever. We promised that they would never leave our bodies until 'death do us part.' For her to remove her ring and put it on the body, she has to be sending me a message. She's not expecting to come out of this alive."

"Is that what you think?" Mac was surprised at the direction the younger man's thoughts had turned. "I think she was sending a message but not one you are thinking. She was putting her trust in the love the two of you have to get her clues to us."

Danny wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and shook his head, not understanding. Mac went on to explain about the band-aids. "You pointed it out while watching the security feed. She scratched him and got his epithelials under her fingernails. She transferred his DNA to one of your daughter's band-aids and sent it to us the only way she could be sure it would get to us. Sheldon is running it through CODIS and soon we may have our first solid lead on who these bastards are and where they've taken Lindsay."


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 7<p>

Danny allowed Mac's words to slowly penetrate his emotion-wracked brain. It wasn't easy because he felt like his heart, which had been erratic since he had heard the news of Lindsay's kidnapping, had finally been ripped from his chest. It had been a little over two years since he first slipped the ring on Lindsay's finger but he remembered the whole event like it was yesterday.

After the wedding ceremony at the City Clerk's office, Mac and Stella had invited the newlyweds to dinner to celebrate the nuptials. Danny had wanted to decline, after all Lindsay was leaving the next morning to go to Montana to visit her parents before the baby was born. He had wanted to take the new Mrs. Messer home and show her just how much he loved her and would miss her while she was gone. In the end, Mac had insisted and the couple had gone. Once back at the apartment, Danny insisted that Lindsay wait until morning to pack. He had led her to the bedroom where they made love for the first time as husband and wife. Though it was far from being their first time, as was evident by Lindsay's expanding belly, it seemed to Danny a completely different experience. To know that Lindsay would be the only woman he would touch this way and kiss this way for the rest of his life; it was like coming home. As they lay in each other's arms afterward, Lindsay played with her band, marveling at the fact that she was now Mrs. Daniel Messer.

"_You're going to worry that ring right off your finger if you keep twisting it like that." Danny teased. Already his own band felt like just another extension of his own body; like it was meant to be there all along. "I'm glad the jeweler had the ring already in your size and that he was able to do the engraving in a rush. He peppered kisses over her bare shoulders and shoulder blades. _

_Lindsay twisted in his arms so that she could see him. "There's an inscription?" She started to take the ring off but Danny stopped her._

"_What? We've barely been married four hours and you're already taking my ring off?"_

_Lindsay rolled her eyes and kissed him. "Danny, I'm seven months pregnant; my hands and feet swell on a daily basis and I've been told it's only going to get worse in the next couple of months. I think I'm going to have to take it off at some point if I don't want to lose a finger. I want to see the inscription." She pushed the ring to the tip of her finger so that she could see the inside of the ring without completely removing the ring. _

_DM 3 LM 3/11/09_

_She smiled returning the ring to the base of her finger. "You and your sideways heart. You are the only person I know that uses the text term even in written language. I love it, Danny. Did you have yours engraved as well?"_

"_The exact same thing." Danny admitted. He kissed her deeply allowing his tongue to gently probe its way into her mouth tasting as much of her as he could. His hands roamed over her body enjoying the smoothness of her skin against his as if it was the first time they made love. He was smiling around the kiss at then moans of pleasure he was causing her, happy that he could cause that reaction in his wife. Once the kiss ended, she cupped his face lovingly in her hands._

"_You should have reversed the initials in your band."_

_For a moment, there was a spark in his eyes that almost seemed like anger. He cupped his hands over hers and drew them away from his face. Curling her fingers into his own, he raised their joined hands to his lips. "Could never be true, Montana. Don't ever even joke about it. See, it's not just a sideways heart to me. Every time I write it, I think about what symbols I have to use to make it. A less than sign and the number 3. Don't you get it, I'm so much the lesser person in this relationship. So much less of the man I need to be to be worthy of your love. I can't believe it took me almost losing you before to realize it but now that I get it; I'll never forget it again. Baby, you made me the happiest man in the world today by agreeing to marry me. I meant every word of those vows I made today. This is forever. This ring might as well be surgically attached to my finger cause that's where it's going to stay until the day that I die."_

_Tears sprang to Lindsay's eyes and she crushed herself against him as much her heavily swollen stomach would allow. "You know better than to get me emotional right now. Danny, I told you earlier, you are the man I want you to be. I don't want you to think you are anything less that the man that I love with my whole heart. I may not be able to promise that I won't have to take the ring off my finger but I promise you that it won't leave my body as long as I live."_

_Gently easing her on her back and covering her body with his own, Danny kissed her once more. They proceeded to pledge that eternal love to one another in a physical way._

Sitting on the floor of the locker room, Danny wiped the tears from his eyes. "You really don't think she's given up?"

Mac shook his head. "Not even close. Lindsay doesn't know the meaning of the word quit; it's part of what makes her who she is. It probably wasn't any easier for her to slide that ring off than it was for you to see it, so we have to take what she's given us to ensure you are able to put it back on her finger very soon."

Danny looked at the band in his hand. "Does it have to go into evidence?"

There was no way Mac would ask for that ring back, not even if the most telling evidence was on it. He clamped a hand on Danny's shoulder. "It's been photographed and processed. You hang on to it until we rescue Lindsay."

Gratefully, Danny slid the onto his pinky finger but even at that it went down to his knuckle. He brushed it to his lips wishing it could be Lindsay instead. He felt marginally better. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at Mac. "You think this evidence she sent us will help us find her?"

Mac's phone beeped with a message. He checked it and smiled. "Sheldon has something for us."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Don Flack balled up a piece of paper for the eleventh time and threw it in the garbage can. He'd been trying to work on his reports for the last hour but wasn't getting any where. Every time he tried to concentrate, he remembered Bestly's smug expression and his mind drifted to Lindsay. He'd seen what the sadistic bastards had done to their previous victims. It seemed they were full of horrific ways to torture innocent people; how much more inventive would they be knowing they had a cop in their midst? He had to be hopeful they would find her alive but in what condition?

His phone rang and he scooped up the receiver. "Flack."

"_Donnie, it's Anna Messer. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."_

"Not at all. I'm never too busy for you. Everything okay with Lucy?"

"_She's fine, it's Danny I'm worried about. He didn't eat any supper last night and he got out of here this morning without breakfast. I know he's worried about Lindsay but he's going to make himself sick. Do you know if he ate lunch?"_

Flack frowned into the phone. He hadn't pushed Danny the day before when they went through the drive thru although he had planned to do so later in the day. He hadn't been able to when Danny had been called away to handle Lucy's meltdown. Now, a day later, it was a battle worth picking. "I don't know, I've been at the precinct most of the day. Don't worry, I'll make sure he eats something if I have to handcuff him to a chair and force feed him."

"_Thanks Donnie. You are a great friend. Any news yet on Lindsay?"_

A well dressed man had approached Flack's desk and was waiting patiently. Flack sighed. "Nothing yet. I have to go but I'll get food into him one way or another." He made his goodbyes and hung up the phone. "Can I help you?"

The man smiled. "Didn't mean to interrupt. They told me you were the detective that is handling the bank robbery. I'm Dennis Monisett, CEO and president of WKLM, channel 14."

Instantly, Flack's hackles raised. He gave his pen a toss across the desk. "I suppose you are here about the gag order."

"Sort of. I'm afraid I missed the breaking news report my station aired earlier so I wasn't sure why we were being gagged. I have since investigated and I am livid. I do not condone such irresponsibility at my station. Bestly is an arrogant jerk that got his job not because of ability but because of nepotism. He's my wife's nephew and she convinced me to give him a chance against my better judgment. I put him on the city hall beat because I thought it would keep him out of trouble. After hearing what he reported, I looked at my other employees to see why it wasn't stopped before it aired. I am now looking to hire a new news director and reporter. I don't guess you have any way of knowing yet what kind of damage he caused."

Flack shook his head, surprised by the man's sincere manner. "We won't until we are able to locate them."

"My apologies are not enough; I know that. However, I do offer them. I also would like this to go to the family of the missing officer." He handed a folded slip of paper to Flack. He opened it and saw that it was a check for $5,000. The to line had been left blank. "It's not a pay off. My lawyer has told me that if the family wishes to sue the station for damages they have the right and would win. I wouldn't blame them if they did; in fact I have advised the station's attorney to draw up a more than generous settlement. That check is not station money but from my own personal account. Money won't make up for what happened any more than my apologies can but it's the very least I can do. I'm the captain of my ship and the blame stops at me."

As sickened as Flack had been while interviewing Bestly, he felt much better about humanity talking to Monisett. "I'll pass it on to the family at the appropriate time. Her husband is going through a lot right now and we didn't want to add to his worry by telling them that her occupation has been made."

Monisett's face fell. "The officer is a female? Damn, her husband must be going through hell right now; I've read the reports NYPD released to the media on the previous victims. Even though I'm sure it wasn't the full story, it was gruesome enough. Maybe I should include Finn's address with that check. I'd understand if the department has lost all trust in my station but I am willing to help the department in any way I can. All of my resources are available to you."

Flack nodded. "I'll keep it in mind. I'll also let the mayor know your stations infestation problem has been taken care of and the blacklist can be lifted."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"You okay?" Neil asked once Lindsay was back in the room. She could ask him the same question. In the time she had been out of the room, he'd acquired several bruises and a large gash on his arm. Nobody had been left unscathed but Lindsay and Carla were by far in the worst conditions.

"I'm alive and I wasn't raped so I guess so." Lindsay didn't have qualms about admitting it to Neil. The captors had left them alone once again. She desperately yearned to have Danny take her in his arms and hold her close. Her arms had gone numb from being pulled behind her for so long but even with that she felt naked without her wedding band. She hoped Danny would forgive her for breaking her promise to him.

After she had kneed her captor, she had been afraid of the consequences he would inflict on her. She tried to steel herself against the coming pain but was caught by surprised when he laughed. He had cryptically remarked "so that's how you want to play it." and then dragged her back to the room.

A little later, the leader dragged Carla back into the room. It was immediately obvious by the young woman's half dressed state and her extreme emotional distressed that she had not been as lucky as Lindsay. The leader kissed her again and dropped her to the floor. Before he had left the room, he brutally kicked out at Lindsay catching her in her already battered ribs. That final kick was what had prompted Neil's question.

"You don't have to lie to me, kiddo. I can see the pain in your eyes. God, I hope your husband and other co-workers figure out that evidence soon. I don't think you can take much more. I know that one over there can't take much more." He indicated Carla with a jerk of his head.

Lindsay looked over and saw that Amanda was trying to console the younger woman but it was like Carla had retreated into herself. After several attempts to reach her, Amanda gave up and fell silent. Lack of food and water and their injuries had them weak and nobody did much talking.

Unsure of how long they had remained silent, Lindsay was caught unawares when Carla finally spoke up. "Why didn't he go ahead and kill me? My life is over."

Her heart broke for the younger woman and was hitting a little too close to home for Lindsay giving their current circumstances. Yet as a cop, she knew what she had to say to Carla. "You can't think like that, Carla. I know you feel like there's no coming back from this but eventually you'll see that what happened won't define your life forever."

The young redhead sobbed. "How can I face my fiancé after this? Why would he want to look at me, let alone touch me, after what that monster did to me? He'll look at me and just see the dirtiness and worthlessness. Even if he wanted to, I don't know if I'd be able to let him touch me in that way. He'll leave me."

"No he won't." It was Sam who spoke up. "At first he'll just be so glad that you are alive, he'll think nothing else matters. Then as you have to deal with the reality that is now your life, he'll want to do anything possible to make it better for you. If that means giving you your space and taking cold showers, he'll do that; if it means letting you scream at him, he'll be your sounding board. The only way he'll leave you is if you tell him to go but even then he won't stop loving you. He'll love you enough to stick by you. You've had a horrible thing happen to you Carla but it doesn't have to be the end of your life or your relationship. Let him be there for you. If I'm wrong, then he wasn't worth your love anyway."

Lindsay stared at him. He had to be speaking from experience. He hung his head. "My wife was gang raped when we were dating. She was a virgin at the time. I won't lie, it was a difficult trying to help her through it. Especially when she discovered she was pregnant as a result of the rapes. Sometimes I made it worse for her because I would get frustrated with how slow her recovery was going but now we've been married for twenty one years."

Carla watched him. "What about the baby?"

"My son just turned twenty two. And yeah, he's my son in all the important ways. He might not be biologically mine but I love him like he was. He was the only good thing that came from her attack. When we get out of here, I'll introduce you to her. She'll help you through this."

"Anybody thirsty?" Their captors returned carrying bottled water. Hunger and thirst were taking its toll on the five captors. Lindsay eagerly opened her mouth as her captor poured the water into her mouth. It was cold and delicious. Though it threatened to choke her, she made sure she drank every delicious drop. She didn't know when she'd get any more.

When the bottle was empty, her captor threw it across the room and started to laugh. He knelt down in front of her. "Did that taste good? Want some more?" He pulled out another bottle and opened it. It was only then that Lindsay realized the seal was already broken. Sudden fear slammed into her as she realized he could have done anything to the water. She twisted her head trying to keep her mouth away from the bottle but he grabbed the back of her head and held her still. This time as he forced the contents down her mouth, she tried not to drink but it went down her throat anyway, causing her to cough bitterly. He was laughing even more when he once again tossed the empty bottle away. He leaned close to her ear.

"So tell me, Bitch, what happens if a cop fails a drug test?"


	9. Chapter 8

Author's Notes: I was reading back over the past chapters to make sure I didn't change any facts that I had already established. I was surprised when I read the inscription in both chapters. For some reason the less than symbol didn't show up. I tried to fix it but it still didn't work right. I don't know why but it makes his explanation of feeling less than what he needs to be not make sense. Weird. Thought I'd point that out. The beginning of this chapter once again is pretty violent. Just a warning. Not something that I'm used to writing so let me know how it comes across. I want it to be realistic without being so disturbing it turns people off.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 8<p>

"What have you done?" Lindsay demanded in a low growl. She couldn't feel any effects but she knew it would take time for any drug to work through her system. But then Amanda began violently throwing up and Lindsay could see twinges of red in what she was regurgitating. She worried about what kind of caustic agent might have been in Amanda's water.

"A little Drano in hers. A little speed in Grandpa's and in yours? A regular little cocktail of drugs - LSD, PCP, Liquid Ecstasy, maybe some other stuff I don't remember. Anything for a little fun."

Fear had her mind working sluggishly, or maybe it was already the effects of the drugs in her system, as she tried to think about what effects that combination of drugs could have. None of it was good. Both the LSD and PCP were hallucinogenic drugs and the Liquid Ecstasy was a date rape drug. She was going to be in for a bad trip from all three but the third could prevent her from knowing or preventing anything they wanted to do to her. This was her payback for kneeing him, she decided.

John, the leader, laughed. "Maybe you should have slipped her the Liquid X earlier; might have saved you some wear and tear on the family jewels. I guess you weren't ready for the big leagues just yet. Maybe you should practice on Baby Girl over there; she was pretty tame. Better yet, I can show you how to handle little spitfires like Copper. Maybe make a man out of you yet, Junior."

"Screw you." He spat.

Junior's eyes flashed fire. "Hold him." He barked the order at two of the other captors who then grabbed the younger man's arms, holding him fast. John approached the now struggling man and seeing them side by side Lindsay at last saw the resemblance. Her heart rate accelerated but she wasn't sure if it was from the drugs or her sudden realization. John was the father her captor had told her about. John slapped his own son brutally across the face. "Don't make me regret pulling you into this. 'Screw you'? Is that the way you talk to me now?" He smiled. "Besides, I'd rather screw her. Watch and let me show you how this works."

John straddled Lindsay; he grabbed the waist band of her jeans and yanked them down to her ankles in one good pull. Pulling a stun gun from his back pocket, he held it against her right knee and pulled the trigger. Lindsay bit her lower lip to avoid screaming out in pain. Once he repeated the action with her other knee, she couldn't hold back the scream any longer. Her screams seemed to excite him more.

"I guess you won't be using those knees against me." He handed the stun gun to the only other captor not currently involved in the attack. "If she even looks like she's about to resist me, stun the old man directly over the heart."

Using his knife, he cut down the front of her t-shirt revealing her bra. He licked his lips as if anticipating a fine meal. "Too bad the guards in prison weren't as pretty as you; I may have enjoyed my stay and my treatment there."

His left hand, still holding the knife, gripped her hair tightly. His right hand ran down her skin and pushed her panties to one side. Tears ran down her cheeks as he roughly inserted several fingers into her opening. The intrusion inside her womanhood was painful as well as humiliating given all the witnesses to her degradation. He leaned down and licked her bruised skin between her breasts. Then he used his teeth to pull her bra up exposing her left breast. He released the material and then captured her nipple in his mouth sucking and biting it painfully. The whole time, he was thrusting his fingers in and out of her brutally.

With a sudden burst of energy, the son broke away from the men holding him and tackled his father viciously, breaking the man's contact with Lindsay causing her to once again cry out in pain. The two men started rolling on the floor punching and cursing each other until John used the knife in his hand to slice the younger man's arm. His son lay on the ground panting and John stood breathing hard. "Bastard. How the hell did any of my genes create such a sorry little wuss? You think you saved her from pain? All you've done is piss me off enough to put off what I'm going to do to her until the Liquid X gets out of her system and I'm sure she'll remember every painful moment of it." He looked at the others. "Go patch him up before I hurt him any more." Without another word, he stormed from the room.

Once the captives were alone, Lindsay turned her back to the others. She needed at least an appearance of privacy to get herself together as she began to sob. As bad as it was, she knew it was nothing compared to what Carla had experienced. Maybe it was selfish and weak of her for breaking down and turning away but she didn't trust herself to face them.

She felt dirty and exposed but with her hands bound she couldn't even pull her pants back up to cover herself. She heard first Neil and then Sam call her name worriedly. She ignored them but when Carla's teary voice called to her, she couldn't ignore her completely. She took a couple of deep painful breaths to stem the sobs momentarily. "Please…just…I'll…Damn it, I can't do this right now. I'm sorry."

She heard shuffling and then Sam and Neil were on either side of her. They turned their backs to her so that their hands were facing her. Without a word, they gently, as best as their own numb hands could work, pulled her jeans back up to her waist. Then Neil fumbled with her bra to cover her breast while trying to keep from touching her. This kind gesture caused her sobs to increase.

Lindsay's skin was starting to feel like she'd fallen into a bed of fire ants. Her vision was starting to double and kaleidoscope. The events in the room were starting to feel a little fuzzy to her as the drugs in her system started to take effect so she wasn't award of Amanda once more throwing up and moaning painfully.

Sam looked at Amanda worry evident in his eyes. He lowered his voice so that only Neil could hear his question. "Doc, what about Amanda? Drano can kill you, can't it? Even in small doses? I thought they wanted us to survive until their next robbery."

Neil looked Amanda over with a clinical eye. "Yes it can. That's why I think he lied about what she was given. If she swallowed even a diluted amount of the caustic agent, she'd be in much worse shape right now. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say they gave her syrup of ipecac. I used to use it in my practice for overdoses and accidental poisonings until the AAP recommended discontinuance of its use. The reactions to it would be similar to what we are seeing with Amanda. It's not fun and it could still be dangerous but I think she'll be okay."

"What about the drugs? Think they were lying about those too? I don't feel any different." Sam asked hopefully.

Neil could feel the difference in his own body, similar to when he drank too much coffee only more extreme. He could see the way Lindsay's eyes were darting about as if out of control. He sighed. "I think they told the truth about the drugs. Maybe you and Carla were lucky to have only gotten water. Nothing we can do about it but ride out the systems. Neither one of those women should have had to endure what they did at that monster's hands. It ain't right."

Sam stared at the door where their captors had left. "Lindsay's body is already one gigantic bruise and he threatened to do even worse to her later. I know I was a jerk when this first started. I'm ashamed that I let my fear make an ass out of myself. I'm still scared but now it's for those two. I swear to you, Doc, they'll have to kill me before I let that sorry SOB anywhere near them again."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"What have you got?" Mac didn't waste any time once he and Danny made it to the lab where Hawkes was working.

The former ME looked up from the computer he was working on. "A hell of a lot of respect for Lindsay. Who else would have thought to get evidence to us that way. And…" he continued quickly knowing that neither man wanted him to beat around the bush. "…A hit in CODIS from the skin sample she sent us. It's not a direct hit but a familiar match in the system." He pulled up a police mug shot of a man who at the time the picture was taken was in his thirties. "Meet John Atwood. He spent fifteen years at Rikers on, get this, robbery charges. He was released five years ago. That picture is twenty years old. Our robber would be his son or brother. I've got Jo searching for any current information we have on Atwood and his family. Adam is pulling his criminal record."

Danny was staring at the photograph. "He was there. He's the one who seems to be the leader in all of the robberies."

Mac gave Danny an incredulous look. "How do you figure that?"

Danny didn't answer right away but went to a different computer. His hands were shaking, whether from fatigue, low blood sugar from not eating, or the knowledge they finally had a solid lead he wasn't sure. He pulled up one of the security feeds that had been converted to digital and paused on one of the robbers. He blew the picture up so that the robbers face filled the screen. With the mask on only his eyes were visible. "I've been studying those feeds for weeks looking for clues. I know those eyes. Look, they are the exact same."

Hawkes blew up the mug shot so that it was the same size as Danny's security feed picture and superimposed the two images. Sure enough, they were an exact match. "I'll be damned. Score two for Team Messers."

"John Atwood has one son, Johnny." Jo announced as she entered the lab. "Johnny has to be our DNA source. That's the good news. The bad news is they both seem to have fallen off the face of the planet a two years ago when Maria Atwood, Senior's wife and Junior's mother, died. I've called in a favor from a friend at the Bureau to see if they have any current intel on the two; hopefully I'll hear something soon."

Shaking his head, Mac frowned. "So we know who but we're still not closer to knowing where Lindsay's being held. What about the other evidence she sent us?"

Sheldon frowned. "Paint was old but common. At one time about 90% of the warehouses and factories in the city used that color and type of paint. All it does is narrow it down to one of the thousands of old buildings in the city that haven't been repainted in a few decades."

Adam skidded into the lab looking excited. "Samuel Trust and Loan, Manhattan National, LaGuardia Savings and Loan, and First National Bank Manhattan. Ring any bells?"

Mac sighed. "Of course they ring a bell, Adam. Those are the banks that have been robbed so far."

"They are also the first four of the banks Atwood spent fifteen years in jail for robbing. Kind of a big coincidence, don't you think? The next bank on the list is Standard Bank on 42nd Street. If they continue the pattern, that's where they'll hit next."

Mac nodded. "So we may not know where they are but we know where they'll be. Good work, Adam. I'll call Flack and see if we can get undercover officers in there. We'll catch them when they try to rob the next bank and force them to give us the locations of their hostages. Sid's TOD of all the previous victims tells us that they were alive until after the next robbery. As long as we nab the robbers during the robbery we can get her back alive."

Danny balked at the idea. "Are you crazy? There's a major flaw in that plan, Mac. They won't hit the next bank for six more days. What are we going to do in the meanwhile, sit on our asses while those guys do whatever the hell they want to my wife and the other hostages? Are you out of your flipping mind?"

"I don't like it any better than you do, Danny but what choice do we have? We don't know where they are. We'll keep looking of course but knowing their next heist location may be the best chance we have." Mac yelled back. He regretted shouting the minute the words left his mouth. He knew Danny was understandably upset but he was worried as well. He had been honest with the younger man earlier in the locker room when he assured him that he didn't think Lindsay had given up but he was terrified of what had happened to her if the news leak had been seen by the captors.

"Then our best sucks." Danny stormed out of the lab down the hall to the break room. He picked up a mug from near the coffee pot and was about to throw it against the refrigerator. He stopped when he saw which mug he had picked up. It was white with three cows emblazoned on the side wearing party hats. The caption underneath it said "Party 'til the cows come home." He had bought for Lindsay as a welcome back gift when she returned from Montana after testifying. It was the only mug she used at work and everyone knew better than to mess with it. Only Danny had ever been allowed to use it when she wasn't. Their relationship had been brand new when he brought it still in the flirty banter stage that had made him fall in love with her.

He threw himself into a chair at the table holding the mug. Just when he started to feel hopeful, something else seemed to happen to bring him down again. He didn't want to cry again. He'd done too much of that and it wasn't productive. He had to do something that would help bring Lindsay home sooner rather than later.

Someone else entered the break room but Danny didn't look up; didn't want to hear how he was losing his objectivity. A box from a local pizza place was plopped down in front of him and at this he did look up to see Flack standing there.

"Your mom called; she's worried about you not eating. Since I'm worried as well, I promised that I'd make sure you ate something. It's a pepperoni and sausage calzone so I know it's your favorite."

"Not now Flack. I don't need you on my case on top of everything else."

Flack reached into the fridge and pulled out a soda and set it down next the pizza box. "No, what you need is Lindsay here to kick your butt into doing what's right. Sometimes I think she's the only who really can. But since she's not here to do the honors, I'll step in as your best friend. Eat it Danny or so help me God, I'll liquefy it and have Hawkes come in to insert an IV and feed it to you that way."

Danny set the mug on the table and looked down. "I can't, Flack. It's not that I don't want to but every time I take a bite or think about taking a bite I think about Lindsay. We know from the past victims that they aren't fed. How can I sit here and eat this knowing she's hungry?"

Flack sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. He leveled his gaze on his best friend and used his most emotional argument. "Danny, imagine for a moment that your positions were reversed. You were the one being held hostage and Lindsay was here."

"You make that happen and I'll be the happiest person in the world. I'd much rather it was me being tortured than her." Danny admitted.

Flack didn't react to his statement but filed the comment in his memory for a later argument. "Okay, so Lindsay is sitting here refusing to eat because you are in danger. As your best friend, what would you want me to do?"

Danny's shoulders slumped. "I'd want you to make sure she took care of herself if I wasn't here to do it myself. And yeah, I know where you are going with this. Lindsay would want you to do the same for me. I get it and I appreciate it but it doesn't make it any better."

If the emotional argument wasn't going to work, Flack wasn't sure what would. Maybe reverse logic would. "Fine, don't eat it then. Make yourself sick; I'll be sure to explain it to Lindsay when she's rescued why you aren't at her side the minute we get to her. I'm sure she'll understand why you deserted her when she needs you the most."

With a glare, Danny opened the box and picked up a slice of the calzone. "Low blow man."

"I'll apologize later, once you've eaten." He watched as Danny took a small bite and chewed.

Just as when he tried to eat the sandwich earlier, the bite seemed to get larger. When he swallowed, he thought it was going to lodge itself in his throat. Opening the soda, he took a drink to help the food go down. It took about five bites before it got any easier. After the first slice was gone, he explained to Flack what they had found. His friend shook his head.

"Solid plan, but damn at having to wait that long." He, like Mac and Jo, was aware of the added danger that Lindsay could be in. Now more than ever, Danny didn't need to know about the leak. If the robbers knew she was a cop, there was no guarantee that she would be alive when the next robbery occurred. A sudden idea formed in his mind. "What if we didn't have to wait six days for them to rob the next bank?"

Danny looked confused. "They've been painfully consistent with each robbery. Why would they change?"

"Okay, we know that some banks keep very little cash actually in the bank - just enough to handle every day transaction - not enough to make a robbery worthwhile. It's why you have to give them at least twenty four hours before making a large withdrawal. The banks that have been hit so far weren't like that. They are the ones the smaller banks go to when they need extra cash. We get the CEO's of several banks including the one for Standard Bank on the news saying that due to the recent robberies they are making changes. They are cutting back their money stores to the bare minimum until the robbers are brought to justice. The changes will go into place at the end of business tomorrow."

Danny considered Flack's plan. "Could work. I think the CEO's would go for it if it meant they didn't have to worry about being robbed. The only flaw could be the media. How can you be sure they'd run the story, especially if they knew it was a lie?"

A slow smile crossed Flack's face. "You leave the media to me. I've got an inside source. You finish that calzone while I go run the plan by Mac. We're going to bring your wife home and she's going to need you at your full strength."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"Lindsay? Are you in here? Talk to us." Mac Taylor's voice penetrated the fog in Lindsay's brain. She tried to focus her eyes on the direction the voice seemed to be coming from but they wouldn't still their frantic darting movements. It probably wouldn't matter if they had because everything appeared as if she were looking through one of Lucy's kaleidoscopes.

"Mac? I'm here." Her mouth was horribly dry despite the tainted water she'd been given. Her voice was barely more than a croak and she wasn't sure if they would hear her.

She heard running footsteps getting closer and closer. Then Don's voice's called "Clear."

Don and Mac knelt beside her. "It's okay, you're safe now."

"Where's Danny? I need Danny." She was practically begging. Mac shifted his weight slightly so that she could see past him to where Danny was standing a few feet away.

She tried to get up to go to him but her body wouldn't obey even the simplest commands. Why wasn't he coming to her? Then her vision momentarily cleared enough to see the look of revulsion on his face. Finally he came and knelt beside her but he didn't seem to be the same man she loved. He seemed angry - at her. He shook his head.

"How could you? You broke your promise." He held up her wedding band. "We promised we wouldn't remove these rings until we died. Here's your ring and you're not dead. You cared so little about it that you stuffed it in a hole on the body of a dead man. I guess our love- our family - doesn't matter at all to you. You leave our little girl alone at the bank, you throw your ring away. You let another man touch you in ways that only I should touch you. You make me sick." He stood and walked away.

"Danny, no! Please, no. Don't go!" She dissolved into mindless whimpers.

Sam shuffled closer to her as she began to talk for the first time in hours. It sounded like she was talking to someone but he wasn't sure who. Her body was practically writhing in pain and misery. He looked at Neil. "What's going on?"

"Probably a hallucination. The drugs he said gave her have nasty side effects."

"Can we do anything to help her? She sounds so pitiful."

"Right now, she wouldn't be able differentiate between her hallucinations and reality. There's going to be a special place in hell for those bastards when they get there for the pain they've caused. I just hope we all live to see them reach it first.


	10. Chapter 9

Author's notes: I wrote the middle portion of this chapter first thing this morning while I could picture exactly what was going to happen. That section alone was almost as long as my other chapters usually are which is why this chapter is so much longer. As violent as some of the other chapters were, this one is the most brutal yet. I had a knot in my stomach as it was being written and then as I reread it later. This chapter is so unlike anything I have ever written in terms of the violence and the language but it was if the characters took on a life of their own and I wasn't really apart of it any more. Despite the brutality described here, it seemed real to me in a twisted and vile way. Several people have commented in the reviews that they hope that once (I like how optimistic people are about this) Lindsay is rescued, I continue the story to show her recovery. Don't worry, the emotional roller coaster will have to continue even after any attempt, successful or not (I can't give away that information yet can I?). Okay, this author's note is getting to be almost as long as the chapter itself so I'll shut up and let you get to the chapter. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 9<p>

Don hung up the phone. "Okay, just talked to Monisett at Channel 14. He's going to explain the situation to the other local news media and get them all on board. They'll be at the press conference and run the story. He was confident they would all agree to run the story at the top of all news broadcast tonight and first thing tomorrow. He's also going to make sure his own network will run a blurb of the story as a teaser for the news several times in between. Our thieves will have to hear the story."

Mac raised an eyebrow at the mention of Channel 14. The look Don gave him said he'd explain later. He nodded and looked at Jo. "Where do we stand with the banks?"

"Full cooperation. They are willing to try anything to put an end to this nightmare. Standard is calling in several armor cars to arrive at 2 tomorrow to start loading the money."

Mac was pleased Flack's plan seemed to be working so well. "I talked to Sinclair and he's approved the use of the undercover men. Everyone in the bank tomorrow will be undercover officers wearing full body armor under their clothes. We can't do anything to protect them from a headshot but so far none of the victims killed at the bank were shot in the head. Any civilians that comes into the bank will be directed out the back employees' entrance." He looked at Danny who was fairly bouncing with nervous energy. "Hopefully by this time tomorrow we should have Lindsay back."

"Can't happen soon enough. Every minute she spends with them is sixty seconds too much. I just hope they take the bait. What time are we getting to the bank in the morning?"

Mac signed. He was dreading this conversation because he knew it wasn't going to go well. He had given it a lot of thought and despite the protests he knew he was going to hear from Danny, it was the right thing. "Danny, you will not be involved in the undercover operation. You'll stay here at the lab until its over."

Danny's mouth dropped in shock. "Like hell I will. There ain't no way I'm stayin' out of this one while Lindsay's in danger. I can't believe you would even ask me to."

Flack and Jo wisely stayed silent and left the conference room. Mac leaned against the table. "Danny, you can't be involved. It's personal for all of us but for you…" he trailed off. "Anything you did if I allowed you to be apart of this would automatically be suspect. A good, hell- even a halfway competent, defense attorney would pick it apart on the stand and it could mean that these guys walk. Is that what you want? Do you want the men that kidnapped Lindsay and who have done who knows what to her to walk free because you had to be in on the bust?"

"You let Flack be apart of the investigation when Jess was killed." Danny accused in a low voice.

"Yeah, yeah I did and I've regretted it ever since. I let him be involved cause I knew he was in pain and I thought that maybe, just maybe, helping to bring her killer to justice would help him with the grieving process. Instead, whatever the hell happened during that bust messed him up worse than Jess's death ever could have. For awhile I wasn't sure if we hadn't lost him as well. I'll be damned if I'm going to take the same chance with you."

He didn't tell Danny but Lindsay was another reason why he didn't want Danny there. But he remembered the day he'd made the promise to Lindsay that he had hoped he'd never be forced to keep. It had been one evening during Danny's recovery from the shooting. Mac had been keeping an extra eye on Lindsay at work, worried about the spunky young mother and bride. He knew she was pressed to her limits trying to work, play nursemaid for Danny, and care for a newborn Lucy. Coming out of his office on this particular day, he had seen Flack and Lindsay in the break room in what looked like a heated discussion. Flack had been snapping at everyone that day and apparently Lindsay was his latest victim. He was about to step in and see what was going on when Flack stormed from the room, brushing past him without so much as a word. Using the pretense of refilling his coffee cup, Mac entered the break room and saw that Lindsay was vainly trying to wipe away tears. He had sat down across from her.

"_You okay?" She nodded but didn't trust herself to speak. She took several deep breaths trying to get her emotions under control. Mac grabbed a couple of tissues from the nearby counter and handed them to her. He smiled understandingly. "You want to try that again? What was going on with you and Flack?"_

_She shrugged. "Just a little disagreement about a crime scene this morning. He's just going through a lot right now. He doesn't mean to come across so hard."_

_Mac sighed deeply. "Yes, he is going through a lot right now. Losing Jess was devastating to all of us but especially to Don. That doesn't give him the right to take things out on you. Your plate is pretty full right now as well. Want me to talk to him?"_

_She smiled her thanks but shook her head. "No thanks. You know, I don't think it's even about Jess right now. Sure he misses her like he's missing a part of himself but I think there's something more. I know he felt like he had to help bring down her killer but I think it took another piece of him in the end. I hate to see him hurting like that. Promise me something, Mac. If anything ever happens to me don't let Danny make the same mistakes Flack did. Even if he hates you for it."_

_He reached over and squeezed her hand. To someone who didn't know Lindsay or the situation it would seem like her request was a little maudlin and pessimistic. But it showed him just how much optimism she actually had. Despite the dismal chances the doctor was giving that Danny would make a full recover, she was assuming that in the event that something ever did happen to her, Danny would be in a position to even try to be involved in the investigation. It spoke volumes of just how much faith she had in him. "You have my word. Even if he hates me for it."_

He softened his tone. "Danny, I'm sorry but it's my final word. I have to consider everyone involved in this. I don't expect you to understand right now and I get that you are furious with me. Don't make me play the bad guy and lock you in a lab while we are gone."

Rubbing his chin in disbelief, Danny swore, ready to lose the last of his cool. Some still sane part of him knew it would not do him any good so he stormed out of the lab without another word.

Once he reached his bike in the garage, he realized he was more than a little surprised that no one had followed him. It was the first time since being given the news. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called his mother. She answered on the first ring.

"Hey, Ma. I just wanted to check on Lucy." He was breathing through his mouth between words hoping that his emotions wouldn't show through.

"_Everything is fine. She had a little meltdown at naptime but it was nothing like yesterday. Once she woke up from her nap she was fine. She's asked about Lindsay a few times but she seems convinced that her daddy, the superhero, is going to find her. How's the investigation going?"_

That statement was like a small dagger to his heart. How could he explain to Lucy that her hero of a father was on the sidelines while everyone else worked to rescue her mother. He gave her a brief run down of what they had discovered and what they had planned, ending bitterly with the news that Mac was cutting him out of the investigation. His anger grew as he listened to his mother's response.

"_Good for him. I'm glad your friends are watching out for you. Lindsay is going to need you after she's rescued not lying in the hospital yourself because you had to play the hero at the bank and got yourself shot."_

Danny rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ma. Would you be okay with Lucy tonight if I didn't come out there? I don't want to be that far away from the lab in case something happens."

"_Lucy will be fine. Don't worry about it. Did you eat anything today? Donnie promised he would make sure you ate something."_

He knew his mom meant well but his emotions were already on edge. "Yes, Ma, I ate. If you don't believe me you can call Flack and ask him. The two of you seem to be tight today."

His mother's voice got tight, the tone she used only when he was in trouble. "_Don't use that tone with me, Daniel. I am your mother and I taught you to have better respect than that. Is it a crime now for a mother to worry about her son?"_

Danny growled low, making sure it wasn't loud enough to be heard over the phone. "Sorry. Look, that's another reason why I don't want to come out there tonight. I'm losing control and it won't help Lucy to see me snapping. I'll call you tomorrow when we know something."

He hung up the phone and climbed on his Harley. He pulled out of the garage and just drove. He had no clear destination in mind but hoped the noise of the engine and the wind would drown out the horrible thoughts that were filling his mind. He knew Mac was right for keeping him from the investigation, knew it even as he was vehemently protesting. He wanted the bastards that had taken his wife to rot in jail for laying a finger on Lindsay and he didn't want anything to jeopardize that.

A part of his soul that he hadn't known existed until he met and fell in love with Lindsay had been in the grip of fear since he had heard the news that she was taken. For some reason that he couldn't explain, that grip had gotten steadily tighter as the afternoon had progressed. He had no scientific basis for it but he just knew that Lindsay was hurt and frightened. He was afraid to even think about just how hurt she really was.

He knew there was a very real possibility that they would find that she had been raped during her captivity. Even though some of the female victims had been left untouched in that respect, but it hadn't been any that were young and attractive. In his mind he couldn't imagine anyone more beautiful that Lindsay. The thought scared and angered him more than anything else she might endure. No other man should ever touch his wife in such an intimate way. He knew the story of what had happened to Sheldon and his former girlfriend after she had been raped. He was afraid of what could happen to him and Lindsay in the aftermath of such an attack. Nothing could make him love her any less than he already did. If she had been raped, he would go to any length to help her recover from the experience. Whatever she needed from him to convince her that everything would be okay, he would do it. But what if she was so traumatized that what she needed from him was for him to let her go? These were the thoughts that plagued him as he drove about the city.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been riding when he finally found himself stopped in front of his own pocket. He parked the bike on the street and locked it, not really caring if it would be fine there overnight. He rode the elevator up to their floor alone and walked down the hallway and unlocked his apartment door. Going straight into the bedroom he shared with Lindsay, he collapsed on to the bed. He grabbed the pillow from Lindsay's side of the bed and hugged it close to him, inhaling her scent as he sobbed.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Carla was the first one to notice John's return. Despite the fact she wasn't drugged, she'd been in an almost comatose state since her rape, only occasionally finding the physical and emotional strength to respond to what was going on around her. Seeing her rapist return caused her whole body to tighten up once more out of fear of what he would do this time. She began to shake and whimper. Was he coming for her again or to finish what seemed to be a vendetta on Lindsay for being a cop. She didn't wish the pain she had experience at his hands and other appendages on anyone, but she honestly didn't think she would survive another of his attacks.

Neil was busy checking on Amanda who had finally stopped vomiting and had passed out. He looked up when he heard Carla's whimpers and swore. It was John's first appearance back in the room since the fight. About two hours earlier or as near as he could figure without a watch, the other three had come in to "play" with the captives. Two of the captors had taken turns using the stun gun on Amanda and Neil while the third one had brought in candles and a mini blow torch. Sam definitely received the brunt of the torture that time as the captor seemed to delight in using his makeshift torture devices on Sam's arm and upper torso. The abuse would have continued if the one who had saved Lindsay from a worse attack hadn't come in. He announced to his buddies that there was something on the news that John wanted them to see. Neil was sure that it couldn't be anything good for them; the last news story they had watched had outed Lindsay as a cop. What bad news would this report mean for them?

He looked at Sam who was dozing uncomfortably from his wounds. When the younger man heard the whimpers he woke up. His eyes darkened when he saw who it was. He rose to his feet unsteadily. He might not be able to stop the man from whatever he intended to do but he wasn't going to make it easy for him either.

"You aren't going to hurt them anymore. You've done enough. Leave them alone."

John laughed grabbing Sam's arm over the worst of the burns and squeezing painfully. "It'll never be enough. What are you going to do, Big Man? You can't even fight me with your hands secured the way they are. You look like you are about to wet your pants from fear and pain as it is. Well, maybe not wet your pants since you haven't had enough liquid in the last 36 hours to create the need but you get my drift. So go ahead, Big Shot, give me your best."

As if defeated, Sam lowered his head to his chest. When John laughed, Sam quickly snapped his head back catching the captor in the nose. Blood immediately started flowing from his nostrils. Anger flashed in John's eyes and in a quick fluid motion, he retrieved his knife from his back pocket and shoved in in Sam's stomach. He laughed at the intense pain and shock that reflected in Sam's eyes and then removed the knife. He pushed the man back to the floor not even bothering to check to see if he was conscious or not.

John knelt beside Carla and drew her up to a sitting position. Her whole body was shaking with fear. "Miss me, Baby Girl?" With a laugh, he kissed her mouth hungrily. When he broke off the kiss, he lightly patted her cheek. "Don't worry, you and me can have some more fun later on. Right now though, I have a score to settle with Little Miss Protect and Serve."

He released her and went to Lindsay next. Neil was about to stand but John pointed to Sam. "Come one step closer and I'll gut you the same way I gutted him and I'll still have my way with her."

He looked down at his prize. Lindsay was all one small quivering mass. It was obvious the effects of the drugs still were still affecting her but she was slowly coming down from them. Her tears started fresh when she saw him over her. When he grabbed her arms and pulled her upward she began to beg.

"No, please no. You can't. Please. Danny.. Please."

He laughed. "I don't think drugs agree with you, Copper. Who's Danny? Your boyfriend? Nah, husband right?" She didn't respond and he gave her a little shake. "I asked you a question." She nodded mutely. "Well, Danny boy is a lucky man to get to sample your wares every night, isn't he? Wonder how he's going to feel about leftovers when I'm done with you. Oh wait, there won't be any leftovers because you'll be dead."

He drew her to her feet and dragged her down the hall to a different room. He threw her across the bed so only her upper body lay on it and her legs dangled off the side. "How'd you manage to get your clothes back on? Did Junior come back and redress you?"

She shook her head. "Sam and Neil helped me."

John tisked and shook his head. "Can't have that, can we?" He made short work removing her pants and panties completely this time. Using the knife coated in Sam's blood, he cut her bra apart fully exposing her breasts. Setting the knife aside, he ran his fingers over his teeth marks that were left from where he had bit her earlier. "Sorry about that."

"Like hell you are." Her words were said in whimpers but the bite of her tone was still present. She wanted to fight him; she knew it would do no good but at least she would have the knowledge that she did everything in her power to try to stop what was about to happen. However, the drugs had left her body unresponsive to any of her commands; everything in her power consisted of just her words. "Why are you doing this? Do you just get off on hurting people? The money isn't enough for you?"

Leaning over her, he kissed and suckled her neck before moving down to her breasts. Between kisses and painful nips he answered her questions. "Because I can… Hell yes, I get off on hurting others… No, money won't ever be enough.."

His hands roamed further south and once more several fingers plunged painfully into her womanly entrance. "So tight and small. I bet Danny really enjoys sinking himself into you; you must fit him like a glove. I know I'm going to enjoy it." Removing his fingers, he pulled his own pants and briefs to his ankles. Her heart pounding solidly against her chest, her eyes widened at the sight of his already aroused large penis. The clinical side of her that didn't want to acknowledge what was about to happen to her why he wasn't putting on a condom. They had assumed that the thieves had all worn condoms when they raped their victims since they hadn't been able to get any trace despite the obvious signs of rape. He paused with his tip right at her entrance and leaned down to nibble at her ear.

"It would be so easy for me to plunge into you so deep you wouldn't know what hit you. I could pound into you again and again until you weren't able to even cry anymore. Maybe later I will. What's the matter, Copper? Let me guess, it's no fun not having any control over what someone does to your body, is it? To have to lay there and let them have their way with you no matter how painful or humiliating it is? I know all only too well how that feels cause I went through it for the first three years of my stay at Rikers. I lost count of the number of times some inmate made me his Bitch."

Lindsay tried to control her breathing and sobs. Perhaps if she could keep him talking, she could delay what he had planned for her. "Is that why you are doing this? Because you were hurt in prison?"

He laughed bitterly, his hands groping her breasts painfully. She was well aware that he was still poised too close to her womanhood. With every move he made, his penis came dangerously close to entering her, but she didn't dare try to muster the strength to move. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. Nobody cared about the pain and humiliation I went through in prison. In fact, the guards laughed about it. So why should I care about hurting others? What goes around comes around, isn't that what they say?"

Lindsay had read reports of such complaints of what went on at Rikers. While she would like to think guards weren't capable of such things, she could imagine how easy it would be to become desensitized to such acts working in a prison system. Hadn't she sat in on interrogations where the fear of what could happen was used an tactic to get information? "Does it make you feel any better knowing you can cause that same pain in someone else?"

"It makes me feel powerful. Just like it made them feel powerful." He pulled back and she tried not to breathe a sigh of relief as he moved away from her. He reached in a drawer and pulled out a long black nightstick like ones beat officers carried. He held it up for her to see. "Recognize this? All the guards at Rikers carried them. They liked to use them on unruly prisoners. Wielded just right it could break an arm or leg or leave a nasty bruise on your back. But I got a personal different introduction to one the first day I arrived at Rikers."

He turned the nightstick in his hand, almost like he'd forgotten that Lindsay was there. "The guard brought me to my cell. He was a small wimpy Mama's boy, kinda like what Junior's become. He pulled out his stick once I was in the cell and hit me behind my knees. I went down hard and then he grabbed me and bent me over my bunk. We were alone in the cell. He got right in my ear and warned me that I'd be someone's Bitch before twenty four hours was up. He asked me if I had ever had another man's dick up my ass. Then he laughed and said probably not and that he should show me what it would feel like. He pulled my pants down and then before I knew what was happening, he had rammed his nightstick up my ass. I thought he was going to tear me into two. He pulled it out and rammed it in a second and then a third time. At some point I even passed out from the pain. When I came to he was gone and I was still leaning over my bunk bleeding and in pain. It wasn't two hours later before at least three inmates had their way with me."

Lindsay could scarcely breathe, sickened by his story.. No one, not even a criminal, should experience that kind of pain. Had the circumstances been any different and she hadn't suffered already at his hands, she might even feel sorry for him. He leaned over her once again and put the night stick against her broken nose. His breathing was heavy and the expression in his eyes unreadable. "I've waited twenty years to be able to return the favor. To be able to hurt a cop the way he hurt me that day. I just never expected it to come in the form of such a pretty package."

Her body began to sake out of control. This couldn't be happening as she realized the implication of his words. She was about to be sodomized in the most brutal way. Sobs threatened to overwhelm her as she said a silent apology to Danny for not trying harder. "Please, you don't have to do this."

"Neither did he." Still keeping the nightstick in one hand, he ran his other hand back down to her private area. He once again inserted first one finger then another inside her but this time it was inside her anus. With them buried from tip to hand inside her, he made scissor like motions with them as if to stretch the opening. His pleasure at the discomfort he was causing her was evident. "You're even tighter back there. I think this is going to hurt you worse than it hurt me."

He removed his fingers and quickly flipped her over on the bed so that he had better access to her. He pulled her hair forcing her hair up and lowered the night stick to her mouth. "Open your mouth. Do it, Bitch, or I'll break your teeth." She complied and he inserted the nightstick in her mouth, twirling it slightly. "You'd better get it as wet as you can cause it's the only lubrication you're gonna get. Imagine you are going down on Danny if it helps." Afraid of the repercussions if she didn't, she wrapped her mouth around the end wetting it as best her dry mouth could imagine. She was mortified by the moans of pleasure her actions were causing him to make. "Damn, Copper, I may have to let you go down on me like that later." After about a minute, he removed it and she felt the tip of it poised at the entrance of her anus.

Instinctively she stiffed up although she knew that it would make the pain even worse. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to imagine being anywhere else. She could feel him twisting the stick inserting it just barely inside her. She felt something wet hit the back of her leg and wondered if she was already bleeding. Then with a sickening drop in her stomach, realized that he was getting off on touching her and that it was his own semen dropping on her. She held her breath, waiting for the unimaginable pain.

But before he could do his worst, the door slung open and one of his men stuck his head in. "John, Dwayne is on the phone; he's got the information you wanted. The news report was right. If we're going to do this, it'll have to be this morning."

John swore and considered just slamming the stick deep inside her just for the hell of it and leaving it there until he was able to return and finish the job properly. He leaned against her, letting her feel his engorged dick against the back of her leg. He ran his tongue inside her ear and then bit the lobe until it bled. His hand holding the nightstick trembled with the need to hurt her as he had been hurt. He relished the primal whimpers his movements were eliciting from her.

"John, did you hear me?"

'How is it that someone or something keeps getting in my way? You won't be so lucky next time." He whispered in her ear before pulling back. He moved the nightstick away and then swung it brutally against her left buttock. Tossing it on the bed beside her, he stood and pulled up his briefs and pants. He looked at the intruder. "Lets do this."

The other man nodded, glad that John had taken his anger of being interrupted out on Lindsay instead of him. "Want me to return her to the others?"

John shook his head. "She remains here. When we get back, the other four will get the usual treatment but she's mine until I finish with her."

Alone in the room, Lindsay mustered every ounce of strength she had left to pull her legs up on the bed and curl up in a ball. The offensive nightstick was lying just beside her head as if to remind her that it was far from over. Her sobs came in full breath-taking force and she wasn't sure if they were from the pain she was currently experiencing, fear of what might come next, or relief that he'd been interrupted before he carried out his horrible plan. She was slightly cognizant of the fact that it appeared they were about to go rob another bank. Had a week passed already? While it seemed like forever since she'd held her daughter or kissed her husband, it didn't seem like a whole week had passed. Was that what drugs did to you? Darkness closed over her before she decided on an answer.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Everything was set. The undercover officers were all in place including a few members of the crime lab. True to his word, Mac had not allowed Danny to even wait in the van out back where Sheldon was waiting in case anyone was injured. Jo was standing behind the counter playing the role of one of the tellers. Flack was at the desk of one of the loan officers and Mac was at the bank manager's desk. All three had their weapons in easy reach but out of sight.

For the first hour nothing happened. As legitimate customers came into the bank, they were quickly escorted out of the way of any possible harm and directed out the back. Everyone was waiting with bated breath hoping the thieves would make the attempt so they could be captured.

At ten minutes past nine, five black clad masked men entered the bank. Before they could fire the first shot, every single person in the bank turned on them with their own weapons drawn.

"NYPD, drop your weapons."


	11. Chapter 10

Author's Notes: Once again I want to say thank everyone who has reviewed. After I post a chapter, I eagerly await your, the reader's, thoughts on how the story is going. I listen and appreciate every comment even if it's not all positive and take everything said into consideration. At the times that I wasn't completely pleased with a chapter, your assurances that it still read well helped to ease my anxiety Everyone's opinion is important to me. I know the last chapter was extremely dark and violent which is why in my author's notes, I warned that it was the most brutal yet. I hope it didn't put anyone off from reading the rest of the story. As I have said in earlier author's notes, this fic is like nothing I've ever written before. This story has taken on a life of its own for me. It has gone in directions that I had never considered when I first wrote the prologue. Warning: There is a bit of violence at the end but not quite like before. Again, reviews are welcome.

Disclaimer: If they were mine, I would make sure we had new episodes every week all year long. Until then, I can only dream.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 10<p>

John Atwood sat back in his chair, relaxed and unconcerned despite the fact that his current location was an interrogation room at an NYPD precinct. He had even gone so far as to try to put his feet up on the table but they had quickly been knocked back down again. He grinned broadly, seemingly knowing that his devil-may-care attitude would just further piss off the man sitting opposite him.

Mac was glad he was the one questioning the leader of the robbery gang. Once they had gotten the five men to the station, it was decided they should be questioned simultaneously in an attempt to break one of them. Flack, Sheldon, and Jo had taken three of the other men and Flack had pulled in another detective who had been working the case to question the fifth one. It was taking every ounce of his Marine training not to jump over the table and knock the smirk off the man's face. When he spoke, his tone was stern but even, not betraying the anger and hatred he was feeling. "You need to tell me where you have the hostages hid."

John looked confused. "Why?"

Mac's eyes narrowed at the causal, conversational tone Atwood was using. Surely the man realized the trouble he was in. The robberies alone would ensure they went to jail for many years but add in close to fifty murders and the death penalty was a certainty. No matter what, none of these men would know the meaning of the word freedom ever again. "Because if you don't, one of your buddies will. We want to find the hostages alive and the DA will make a deal to the person who gives us the location. However, only the first person who talks will get the deal. My colleagues are making the same offer to your friends."

"Right, and what kind of deal would that be? Take the death penalty off the table for the first one to squeal? Life in prison is no deal believe me. You seem to think you have me over the barrel here. Like you are doing me some sort of favor by convincing me to talk. I'm going to jail no matter what. You could question me from now until the end of time and what will I have lost? An early trip to Rikers to await trial? Sounds good to me. You on the other hand have a lot to lose, like one of your own. When I heard that news report that we had inadvertently grabbed one of New York's finest, I couldn't believe my luck. You don't know how much I've 'enjoyed' her company. Anyway, those five hostages don't have the luxury of time on their side. Some of them weren't looking too good when we left; in fact one was bleeding like a stuck pig. Might have even been your little cop friend; I'm not telling. Point is, if you want any chance of getting them back without the need of body bags, you need to stop thinking you have the advantage here."

Carefully schooling his features so that he didn't let Atwood know what he was thinking, Mac folded his arms. So they had heard the report that a cop was one of the hostage. His heart was hammering in his chest and he hoped like hell that Danny had obeyed his order to stay away from the interrogation rooms. "What have you done to her?"

"Wouldn't you like to know. Of course maybe at some point you'll find the bodies and you can get the answer to that question. Besides, a gentleman wouldn't kiss and tell. I'm sure Danny wouldn't want the world to know all his wife's intimate details." Mac's expression falthered when Atwood called Danny by name and Atwood's smirk widened. "Oh, yeah, she told me all about her hubby. We've gotten quite close. It'll be a shame if you have to tell him that you left her to rot somewhere."

_The real shame was that he wasn't allowed to bring his service weapon into the interrogation room._ Mac thought angrily. Instead he controlled his voice to try to sound unfazed by his taunts. "What do you have to gain by letting them die?"

"The knowledge that the entire NYPD is going crazy cause they know one of their own died while they sat on their hands, helpless. Not as satisfying as the end I imagined for her but I'm willing to resign myself to it as long as Copper dies in the end. But I tell you what; I'm not completely an unreasonable guy. I'll over you a deal instead."

There was no way in hell that Mac was going to make a deal with this smug, arrogant man but perhaps he could learn something that could help by hearing him out. "I'm listening."

Atwood sat forward, leaning his handcuffed hands on the table. His eyes were almost glistening with undisguised desire. "You agree to let me go and I'll take you to the hostages. You get to keep four of them and I get to keep Copper to ensure I get away clean. After I'm sure I'm safe, I'll drop her off in a safe location; I'll even guarantee she's still be breathing. Pretty good deal if you ask me; you get four people to prosecute for the robberies and murders and all five hostages back."

"After what you've insinuated about your treatment of her and her desire to see her dead, why should I trust that you'll let her live if I went along with your 'deal'?"

Atwood shrugged. "I'm sure by now you know I've been in jail before. I value my freedom more than I desire hurting or killing a cop. Trust aside, if you want any of them alive, you'll have to take your chances."

"I'll take my chances that one of your buddies takes our deal." Mac stood. He had to admit that it wasn't as bad of a deal as he thought but there was no way he was going to leave Lindsay in the hands of the sadistic bastard for any length of time.

John sat back, his smirk firmly in place. He wasn't worried about any of his crew talking. They knew the consequences of talking to the police. He had instilled that fear into each and every one of them long ago. The only chance the police would have of retrieving the hostages would be to deal with him. If he was lucky, he'd finally have his way with Copper before the night was over. He'd even keep his end of the bargain and not kill her. In fact, letting her live with the knowledge of what he had done to her could be his final act of torture on her. If he wasn't lucky enough for them to accept his deal, he could be happy knowing she and the others died a much crueler death than the one that had been planned for them. "Let me know if you change your mind. It's not like I'm going anywhere in the meantime. Just remember time is running out."

Mac could hear him laughing as he left the room. As the door closed behind him, he saw Danny standing next in the doorway of the observation room. His hands were on his hips, his jaw was rocking, and there was a look in his eyes that Mac had never seen before. For a moment he looked like he was struggling to know what to say but at last he managed. "What news report was he talking about?"

Mac sighed; if he were honest he had to admit he was surprised they had kept the news from Danny this long. "A reporter overheard a conversation at the mayor's office about an officer being taken hostage in the robbery. He ran the report during a special news bulletin."

"You knew about it but you didn't say anything." Danny's accusation was full of both hurt and anger.

"We didn't want to add to your worry. It ran one time on one station; we had hoped that the thieves hadn't seen it. The reporter who broke the story has already been booked on malicious endangerment charges and the station owner has taken full responsibility. That's one of the ways we were able to get our news blurb out without any trouble."

"The one positive thing I've held onto throughout this entire nightmare is the fact that they didn't know she was a cop. Not that I thought it was going to keep her completely safe but at least it wouldn't add to her danger." His entire face darkened in anger and suddenly he launched himself at Mac pushing his friend and boss against the way clutching his shirt. "You knew and you didn't freakin' tell me? What kind of friend are you, Mac? Don't you think I had a right to know what was going on with my wife? Damn it. You heard him gloating in there about the hell he's put her through mostly because she was cop."

Several officers moved to pull Danny off Mac but the head of the crime lab waved them off. Then he rested his hands on the tops of Danny's arm in a similarly tight grip. "I'm the kind of friend who didn't want to hurt you any more than was necessary. Hate me if you want to for it but I thought it was more important for you to focus on the positive. How you have been able to hold it together as much as you have is beyond me but I knew you couldn't take much more. Considering you are standing here in the middle of the precinct ready to punch my lights out in front of at least a dozen eyewitnesses is proof positive."

As quickly as his anger filled him, it left again leaving only a gaping hole where his heart had been. Danny released his hold on Mac and slumped against the wall. "I'm sorry, Mac. It's just.. I don't know. I was listening to him sound so cocky and proud of what he's done. Talking about Lindsay and using the word intimate was killing me. I wanted to bust up in there and punch him until he either told me where Lindsay was or I killed him. Hopefully her location coming first so the _or _could become an _and_. You don't know how hard I had to fight against myself not to do it. How much I'm still fighting against it."

Mac clamped a hand on the younger man's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. Regardless of the outcome, it would take a long time for everyone on the team to recover from the events of the last two day but especially for the young couple he had grown to love as if they were his own children. He hoped for his own sake as well as Danny's, Lucy's and the team's that the whole situation ended positively. "I have a pretty good idea that it was much harder for you than it was for me and knowing how ready to kill him I was, that's saying a lot."

Flack, Sheldon and Jo approached. They had heard the rumblings in the corridor about Danny's outburst and were glad to see that things seemed better. Mac looked up at them. "Please tell me you had better luck with one of the other four than I had with Mr. Personality in there."

Flack shook his head. "They ain't talking. And I don't mean just about giving up the location either. My guy refused to say anything the entire time I was questioning him. He's taking the whole 'right to remain silent' part of Miranda literally. Detective Markson said the same thing about the guy he questioned."

Sheldon echoed the same response. Jo sighed. "Atwood Junior wouldn't talk either but I don't know, I got the sense that he wanted to tell me but he's scared. Daddy probably threatened him in every possible way in the event they were ever arrested."

Danny shook his head. "Let me talk to him and I'll show him some threats Daddy probably never thought of."

Mac gave him a hard look, not sure if he was serious or just blowing off steam. He sighed. "Atwood didn't mind talking. He made it clear that he didn't care if the hostages died while we were waiting for him to reveal their location. However, he did offer me his own deal. We get to keep his four cronies but in exchange for his release, he'll lead us to the hostages."

Sheldon shook his head. "I'd hate to have that scum bag back on the street for any length of time but if it gets us the hostages back alive, maybe we should consider it. We can always pick him up again. Every law enforcement agency in the entire country would be after him; it'd only be a matter of time before he was back in custody."

"That wasn't his only stipulation." Mac continued. "Part of the deal would be that he kept Lindsay as a hostage until he was sure he was safe."

Flack swore, shaking his head. "No way. No way in hell will we leave Lindsay in his clutches on the hope that he keeps his end of the deal. What is he, nuts?"

Jo watched Danny's reaction, waiting for him to explode once more. Instead, the distraught husband twirled the small gold band that had resided on his pinky since Mac returned Lindsay's band to him the day before. His thoughtful eyes never left the ring as he spoke the words that could barely work their way past the impossibly large lump in his throat. "Yeah, the man is freakin' certified nuts. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Lindsay would say take the deal. If it meant that four other innocent people lived, she'd agree to do it even if she wasn't sure she'd survive it. You heard him, Mac. One of the hostages is slowly bleeding to death while we're standing here in a stalemate with the only five people who know their location."

Mac knew he was right. Lindsay would put the lives of the others before her own no matter how hurt or scared she was. As cops, any of them would. He couldn't bring himself to be the one to put her in that kind of danger, not as her boss and certainly not as her friend. "What if she's the one who's bleeding?"

Danny shook his head. "She's not. He'd have to know getting away even with a hostage would be difficult; he wouldn't choose to take a hostage that would slow him down."

Tears sprang to Jo's eyes as she realized how difficult discussing this whole deal had to be for Danny. Her heart broke that anyone would have to face such an impossible situation but knowing and loving the people involved made it much harder and painful to watch. "Danny, are you saying we should take his deal?"

He closed his hand that was wearing Lindsay's band and his own into a fist and clutched it to his heart as if in a desperate attempt to hold on to his wife the same way. "Hell no. There was a glint in his eye when he mentioned keeping Linds that scared the shit out of me. He was practically bragging about the unimaginable hell he's already put her through, what he still wants to put her through. He wants her as his hostage for some other reason than just because he believes having a cop with him will keep him safe. The last thing I want is to give him any more chances to hurt her. But it's not just about Lindsay and me; four other lives are on the line and I just know what Lindsay would say if she knew the choice."

He walked off not wanting to hear what final decision would be made but feeling like he'd just condemned her to worst possible hell imaginable or not. After he had disappeared, the four detectives stood in silence each lost in their own thoughts and fears. After several minutes, Flack broke the silence turning to Mac. "We're not seriously thinking about taking that deal are we? Who knows what he could do to Lindsay if he gets her alone again."

"I know its crazy and seems insanely cruel but at the same time we are running out of options." Sheldon offered. "They've already gone 48 hours without food; they'll already be feeling the effects of their bodies being in 'starvation mode.' With the captors being in custody we have no way of knowing if they are getting any water. The body can survive longer without food than it can water, and beyond that we have no way of knowing the extent of their injuries."

Mac sighed deeply. "I don't want to take that deal any more than Danny wants us to." He looked at Jo. "Do you think we could break the son? Convince him to give up the location."

Jo ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Yeah, I think we could… eventually, but I don't know how quickly. Like I said, I think he really wants to talk but fears that deep are pretty hard to get around. Do the hostages have the time it would take or would we just be signing their death certificates in the attempt?"

A uniformed officer came hurrying down the hall toward them. "Detectives, come quick, there's a problem in interrogation 8."

Jo paled. "That's where Atwood Junior is."

All four had the same thought at the same time as they took off at a run. "Danny."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay was caught in an endless cycle of hallucination after hallucination. She had woken up when she felt someone touching her cheek. She'd been horrified to open her eyes and see Shane Casey standing over her. She could see the bullet wound from her kill shot prominent on his chest. He was grinning at her with that same sardonic grin she'd seen him use while tormenting Danny. He brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Miss me? You know, that night in your apartment with your sweet little girl in my arms, I never thought you'd actually pull the trigger. I thought your daughter meant more to you than that. Would have served you right if I would have moved at the last moment and your bullet would have slammed into that poor innocent child. Could you have lived with yourself if she had died because you had to play hero? I bet the city wouldn't have honored you with a medal if that had happened. Bet ole Danny wouldn't have been too lovey-dovey with you after that."

Suddenly he pulled a gun from his waistband and pressed the barrel against her bare chest. He laughed as he pulled the trigger. Lindsay screamed and shut her eyes trying to pull an image of Lucy and Danny to her mind. She didn't want Shane Casey's face to be the last one she saw.

"Too bad you didn't scream like that the night in the diner." She opened her eyes to see Casey replaced with Daniel Cadence. He looked exactly as he had the day he was sentenced at his trial. He sat on the cot next to her, picking up the offensive nightstick and playing with it absentmindedly. Given what almost happened to her with it earlier, she tried to pull as far away as she could but her body refused to move. "If you had, I would have saved myself the future headache of a trial and jail time. I would have shot you just like I shot that waitress and those other girls." He put the nightstick above her broken nose between her eyes. Suddenly the nightstick became a gun. She screamed and closed her eyes once again.

"Montana." At Danny's distinctive Staten Island accent, her eyes flew open in relief. "Montana, look at me." He was standing beside the bed with his arms folded across his chest. "Look at you. I can't believe I ever thought I loved you. You are so weak. You couldn't save your friends when you were a teenager. You nearly shoot our daughter after I told you to put the gun down and then at the bank you sent her straight into the path of bullets. You make me sick. Was he worth it, Linds? Was getting it on with that creep worth ruining our marriage? I'm through. I'm taking Lucy and we getting as far away from you as we possibly can. We'd be better off if you did die here in this room."

Lindsay hung her head at his cruel words. He was right, she was a bad mother and she couldn't blame him for not wanting to stay with her. She was too damaged and dirty to be worthy of his love. "Please don't, Danny. I love you."

"Aw, I love you too." Suddenly it wasn't Danny standing there but John, leering down at her and licking his lips. He dropped his pants and briefs once more. He seemed to be even bigger this time, bigger than what should be humanly possible. "I'm back and this time, nobody is getting in our way." He straddled her body pushing his massive manhood into her with violent thrust after violent thrust. She screamed with each painful intrusion until she was hoarse from all the screaming. Just when she thought she could take no more, he pulled away and flipped her over. He nibbled on her ear and then proceeded to rape her anally. Despite her voice being gone, the incredible pain had her screaming once more. He laughed in her ear. "That's right, Copper, scream for me. Scream loud enough for Danny to know exactly how much you are enjoying it."

Down the hall in the big room, tears spilled down Carla's face. Her hands were covered in Sam's blood where she had tried to stem the flow after their captor had left the room with Lindsay. With an apology, Neil had torn the rest of her blouse off, using some of the material to stuff into the wound. That had proved easier than using the rest to tie the makeshift bandage in place. Between the two of them, they had managed to at least temporarily stop the bleeding. She wasn't sure how long it had been but Sam had been in and out of consciousness.

When Lindsay's screams had started, Carla jumped as if she'd been shocked. "What is he doing to her? I thought they left and I haven't heard them come back but it sounds like he's killing her."

"I don't think it's him." Neil explained quietly. "If they had come back we would have seen and heard them. I think it's the drugs they slipped in her water earlier. LSD is a nasty drug whose effects can last longer an incredibly long time. Growing up in the sixties, I've seen the way it effects people. Some people have intensely pleasurable trips but others, especially those already anxious, can have hellacious experiences. I think the current situation counts as an anxious time."

Sam groaned in pain. They looked down to check on him but he was still unconscious. Carla sniffled. "They said earlier that they were going after another bank. When they come back they are going to kill us, aren't they? Just like they did those others."

Neil wouldn't meet her eyes. "We have to hold on to hope that Lindsay's coworkers find us before that happens.. They are our only chance."


	12. Chapter 11

Author's Notes: As I was looking up information for this chapter on the internet, I learned something I never knew. The state of New York does not have a death penalty. So I faced a dilemma. Do I ignore reality or try to find a way to make it work? It made it harder to figure out how to get this chapter back on track.

I know you were all thinking one thing at the end of the last chapter but you should always remember that I like little twists and turns along the way. Hope you aren't disappointed.

Disclaimer: still don't own them.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 11<p>

John Atwood, Jr. was dead. His body lay exactly how it had fallen after the fatal gunshot wound. His left arm, right hand, and half the room was covered in blood. A police issued service revolver lay next to his body. Death had come instantly from a point blank shot to the head. It would have taken a great deal of rage and hatred to end a life so violently.

Glass that used to be the two-way mirror between the observation room and the interrogation room littered the floor. The chair Jo had left Atwood sitting in was no longer in the room but lying on the other side of the wall. Danny was nowhere in sight.

Mac watched from the doorway. Because the shooting had occurred in-house, they would have to wait for the state police as well as Internal Affairs to arrive to process the scene. Until then, no one would be allowed inside. How the hell did this happen? He knew Danny was upset but couldn't believe he would actually gun down a suspect. Had it been Atwood, Senior after hearing the man mouth off, it would be one thing. But this seemed senseless and over the top even for the state Danny was currently in. If they had found Atwood beaten senseless, he could easily see Danny being responsible but not this level of savage carnage. Half the man's head had been blown away. No matter how mad he was, he wouldn't have pushed things this far. With that innate conviction in mind, Mac still had a dead suspect in front of him. Had Danny gone in to try to break the younger Atwood and things had gone horribly wrong? If so, why hadn't he stuck around? So he asked his initial question out loud. "How the hell did this happen?"

A young officer, not much more than a rookie, was sitting on the floor, his head in his hands. "I was in the observation room where Detective Danville told me to stay to keep an eye on the prisoner. Everything seemed fine at first. Then the chair came through the mirror shattering it. I couldn't do anything at first it startled me so badly. By the time I realized what he was doing, I climbed through the window. I know we aren't suppose to bring weapons into the interrogation room but I just wanted to stop him. I didn't even think about it until he suddenly had my gun. He even had a smile on his face when he pulled the trigger. It seemed so much louder than it ever has at the firing range."

Flack knelt beside him recognizing that the officer was traumatized by the experience. "It's okay, Officer Haines. Where is Detective Messer?"

The man looked at him, obviously confused. "How would I know? What's that got to do with the prisoner killing himself?"

Markson spoke up from where he'd been standing. "Danny didn't have anything to do with this. He never even came down this hall. I saw him storm out of the station several minutes before any of this commotion started. He seemed upset and in a hurry; kind of like the devil himself was after him. Consider what he's going through with Lindsay missing, maybe the devil actually was."

The three CSI's and Flack were relieved to know that their friend was not involved in anyway. Everyone could sympathize with his distress over his missing and probably badly injured wife, but killing a suspect in such a cold blooded way would have not ended well at all for the anguished man. Still, Atwood's death still posed a big problem for them in another way. He was their best hope for finding Lindsay in time without having to accept his father's deal. They hadn't been sure they could break him in time to save Lindsay but any chance they had had died with him.

"It was the strangest thing." The young officer continued. "I thought he had cut his arm trying to kill himself but when I came through the glass it looked like he was using the blood to write something on the table."

Jo reached out and gripped Mac's arm. "Maybe he was leaving a deathbed confession. Mac, he might have been telling us where Lindsay and the other hostages are. We have to go in there and check."

Mac sighed. "You know protocol says we can't go in there until a the state police clears the scene."

"Screw the protocols." Flack growled. "If a victim is alive and in need of medical attention, we are allowed to ender in order to save a life. Well, we have victims in need; if going in there and finding what Atwood was writing could save their lives, I ain't waiting." Without waiting for Mac's answer, Flack barged into the room. To his credit he was careful not to disturb anything. He stood at the table and peered down. "Damn, he only got a partial word. CASPM. It could be anything, a street name, building name, anything. Does it really help us any?" He looked around for any other information he might have missed and then left the room again.

Mac took his phone out and called a number from speed dial. "Adam, it's Mac. I need you to pull up that list Sheldon found of buildings that matched the paint sample Lindsay sent to us. Cross reference it with the letters CASPM. I'm sending Sheldon back to the lab to help you. Let me know when you have the list narrowed." He hung up the phone and realized that Sheldon had already taken his statement as an order to return to the lab. Everyone knew the importance of moving quickly. "We need to talk to the suspects again. Don't tell them that Atwood is dead. Make them think he's talked. See what kind of reaction you get from them about the letters Atwood wrote. Jo, since your guy isn't in the position to be questioned again, you can take a stab at Sheldon's suspect."

Flack winced. "Picturesque choice of words considering the condition of our friend in there. We should probably make sure the others don't have a chance to do the same thing. We know that no matter how much we use the threat of death penalty, that it ain't happening in the state of New York. Maybe this is unprofessional of me but I can't say I'd be upset if they all saved us the time and money of providing them free room and board for the rest of their lives. However, I could do without all the paperwork that it would entail of it happening here at the station."

"Who said anything about them being tried in state court? Over thirty counts of murder with a firearm during a crime of violence and at least fifteen counts of murder during a hostage taking and murder involving torture qualifies them to be prosecuted in federal court. That comes up to about 60 federal counts that qualify for the death penalty." Mac explained. He'd already considered that problem.

"There's not a punishment harsh enough on any books, state or federal, for those animals." Jo admitted. "I could come up with some ways that would come close but none that are legal. I know that is unprofessional of me and I don't care."

Mac made his way back to Atwood, feeling a little better about this go round of questioning since they had a lead to Lindsay's whereabouts that didn't entail putting her back into the clutches of Atwood. The man in question seemed pleased to see Mac return.

"I was beginning to wonder just how much you wanted the little Copper back. Ready to accept my proposal?"

Before sitting down, Mac slapped on side of a pair of cuss to the man's left wrist and fastened the other end to a solid hook on the table. Then he unhooked the left side of the original cuff and attacked it to a second hook. Now there was no way the man could move enough to even contemplate suicide. Then Mac returned to his side of the table and sat. "I don't think so. We are in the process of narrowing down their location right now. The trace we got from the previous victims along with information one of your men gave us is going to lead us right to them."

Atwood shook his head. "What do you mean evidence? There was nothing on any of those victims that would give us away. We were too careful."

"You're partially right. There was no trace _on_ the victims but you underestimated the resourcefulness of my officer. She planted evidence _inside_ one of the victims. A paint chip unique to the building you are housing them in." About then his phone rang and he answered it. "Taylor. I'll be there shortly." He hung up the phone. "That's my lab and they have a location for me."

Without another word he left the interrogation room. He pulled Flack and Jo from their interrogation rooms and the three headed for the lab. Once there they met Sheldon and Adam in the conference room.

"There were over a thousand hits on the paint chip when Hawkes first ran it. When I cross referenced it with the letters CASPM it narrowed it down to over a hundred."

Mac shook his head. "That's still too many. The hostages don't have the time it would take us to thoroughly search 100 buildings. Can we narrow it down even further?"

"When you called earlier I was down in the garage lab processing the van our suspects used for their get away vehicle. I found a lot of new pavement gravel in the tires. So I added in a search for areas still in the list that would have routes that took our thieves on any streets that have had recent repaved. My list dropped to one general area. A warehouse district that locals called Caspmire cause some guy with that last name owned like most of the buildings. The only problems is that area covers about five city blocks and somewhere between 30 to 40 buildings. My best guess is that Lindsay is in one of them but I can't narrow it down any further."

"Good work, Adam." Mac praised the younger man. "These people have been traumatized enough so I don't want to flood the area with search teams. We've all seen the previous victims and we know what kind of injuries to suspect. We'll divide up in two teams. Team one will be me, Flack, and Sid; Jo, Hawkes, and Markson will make up the second team. I want two paramedics on each team, preferably female. Adam, you'll stay in the van and guide us from there. The team that finds them will secure the scene and call the other team in to assist."

"What about Danny? You know he'll want to be there when we find Lindsay." Flack asked.

"Call him and get him back here. He can go with us but he has to wait in the van with Adam until we know what we are dealing with. I know he'll want to be there and I know Lindsay will need him. However if the situation is bad, I want to be able to prepare him in advance before he barges in."

Flack nodded and went to make the call. Jo was already calling in the paramedics and Markson. Adam shifted uncomfortably. "No offense Mac, but if Danny is with and he hears the call that the victims have been found, it's not going to be easy to keep him in the van."

Mac nodded. "If there's any question about Danny coming into the scene we use the cell phones instead of the radio. That way he doesn't know we found them until we come for him."

"Danny ain't answering. If he's on his bike he won't answer until he stops. I left him a voice message and sent a text. I'll keep trying."

"Two buses with female paramedics will meet us there. Markson and Sid will meet us in the garage."

"Let's go bring Lindsay home."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"_Adam, cross off 512 Baylor; nothing here." _Mac's voice came over the radio. With a sigh Adam marked off the building on his list. So far Mac's team had cleared six buildings and Jo's team five without finding the hostages. When not answering the radio, Adam was trying to contact Danny. He still wasn't answering his phone. Adam was frustrated in the attempt mostly because he knew how upset Danny would be if he wasn't there when they found Lindsay. Was he ignoring their calls or just unreachable? With a sigh, he tried a different number.

"_Messer Residence."_

"Mrs. Messer, this is Adam Ross with the crime lab. You haven't by any chance heard from Danny today have you?"

"_He's here now. Do you need to speak to him?"_

Relieved, Adam smiled. "Yes, mam. Thank you."

He heard her call Danny and after several seconds, Danny came on the line. "_Adam, what's up? Why are you calling my mom and not my cell?"_

"Between Flack and I, we've been calling for the last hour."

"_Shit, my battery died. I guess I've been forgetting to charge it. What's going on?"_

Adam wasn't sure exactly how much of the story Mac wanted Danny to know so he chose his words carefully. "We got a lead on Lindsay's location. We're searching the area where we think she is. Do you know where the Caspmire District is?"

"_Yeah, I used to patrol that area back in the day. I'm on my way. I'll borrow Ma's car so I can charge my cell phone as I drive. Call me if there's any news. I'll be there in about thirty minutes, sooner if I don't obey the speed limit. If you find her before I get there make sure she knows I love her and that I'll be there soon."_

Adam hung up the phone and keyed his mike. "Finally reached Danny; he's on his way."

"_Roger that. Let us know when he arrives." _Mac advised.

"_Mac, 308 Colbert. I think we've got it. We got bank bags from the previous heists and a blood trail. No sign of the hostages yet._"

"_On our way."_

Adam breathed a sigh of relief and said a prayer that Lindsay was okay.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Jo had been ready to think they would never find the hostages until she discovered the money. Feeling hopeful once more, the five members of the team made their way down the hallway. The corridor made a sharp left about two hundred feet down but there was also a door that had been pulled shut. A broom ran through the door handles, essentially locking the door. Jo and Markson had their hands on their guns; even though they thought the hostages would be alone, they couldn't take the chance that their was an unknown sixth member of the gang. Markson eased the broom from the handles and set it aside. Next the threw open the door and stepped inside, guns leveled.

A young redhead woman screamed at their entrance. She was clad only in her underwear and was sitting next to an unconscious man. An older man was kneeling next to another woman. Lindsay was nowhere in sight.

"NYPD, is there anyone else here with you?" Jo tried to keep her voice calm so she wouldn't spook them any more than they already were.

The older man answered. "We have another hostage somewhere in the building but that's it. Please, we need immediate medical attention. Sam was stabbed awhile ago and lost a lot of blood. My fingers are too numb to get an accurate pulse but I'm afraid Amanda's had a heart attack."

The two paramedics and Sheldon quickly crossed the room and began treating the two hostages in question. Holstering her weapon, Jo cautiously approached the redhead and knelt beside her. The younger woman started to shake as sobs threatened to overwhelm her.

"Lindsay was right. She said you would find us. I thought we were all going to die."

Markson kept his distance from the obviously distraught woman but slipped out of his sports jacket and handed it to Jo who placed it around younger woman's bare torso.

"You're safe now. We're going to get you to a hospital very soon. What's your name?"

"Carla, Carla Antsworth. Please, you have to find Lindsay. That monster took her out of here so long ago and we don't know what he did to her. We could hear her screaming earlier but then that stopped."

"Do you have any idea where he took her?" Jo hoped a calm even tone would help soothe the woman but her question only seemed to upset her more. Her body was shaking almost out of control.

"They have rooms down that hall. It's where they usually took us to hurt us. I'm sure he took her to the same room where he… where he took me." She gave a long hard shudder at the obvious memory. "I can show you."

It was clear that the last thing she wanted to do was going anywhere near the place where she more than likely had been raped. Jo didn't want to put her through that. "If I go down that hall, will I find it easily enough?" Carla nodded, relieved that Jo wasn't going to force her to go. "Okay great. There are more officers and paramedics coming here and they'll take care of you. I'm going to go find Lindsay."

Jo made her way cautiously down the hall stopping to check each room she passed. In one room she saw what looked to be blood on the small cot but nothing else. At the end of the hall she found a room where the door was closed and locked. Fortunately it was an old wooden door and opened after a solid kick just below the door knob.

Jo's heart sank at the image that befell her. Lindsay was lying on the cot almost completely naked. Only her back appeared to still be covered with her t-shirt and bra. From her knees upward, she was a mass of bruises, bites and burns. It appeared that her nose was broken but at least the bleeding appeared to have stopped. Her eyes were open as much her swollen face would allow but she hadn't even acknowledged Jo's presence. The older woman crossed the room and knelt beside the cot, touching Lindsay's face gently. Tears ran down Jo's face at the thought that anyone could be treated that violently.

"Lindsay, it's Jo. You're safe now, Sweetheart."

A single tear ran down Lindsay's cheek but other than that, she showed no sign of knowing Jo was there. Jo keyed the radio. "I need a paramedic down here immediately. Last room on the left. Only send a female. Everyone else stay back." The last thing Lindsay needed was for all her friends to see her like this.

As she watched her young friend carefully she realized her mouth was moving but she couldn't hear any sound. She leaned closer and finally made out a few barely audible words. "Not real. Nothing real."

If any of the captors had been in the room with her, Jo would have killed them with her bare hands. What all had that poor girl been through? She brushed the hair away from Lindsay's face. "I am real, Lindsay. This is real and you are going to be okay. Look at me Lindsay, look at me and see that I'm really here."

Only her eyeballs moved, cutting ever so slowly in her direction and then. "Jo?"

Her voice wasn't even a whisper but Jo smiled through her tears. "Yeah, it's me. We've been worried sick about you. Lucy is fine; you've got a very brave little girl." Jo knew that Lindsay would be worried about her little girl and wanted to reassure her. The female medic appeared in the doorway. Jo shifted just enough to give the woman a chance to work but so that Lindsay could still see her.

The first think the medic did was pull out a pair of scissors from her bag and used them to cut the bindings from around Lindsay's hands. Her arms had been bound for so long that it was difficult to get them to move at all and the attempt to do so caused even more pain to course through her body. Pulling a lancet pen from her bag, the medic used it to prick Lindsay's finger and let a drop of blood drop on a glucose strip. The medic shook her head at the reading. "Blood sugar is 52. That's way too low. I've got to get an IV started to get her sugar back up. Detective Messer, you're going to feel a little stick. I'm sorry but its necessary." As she set up the IV, the medic glanced at Jo. "Once her sugar goes back up, she should hopefully be a little more coherent. I need to check her for broken bones."

Lindsay was aware of voices but still wasn't positive if they were real or just another hallucination. She'd lost track of the number of tricks her mind and body had played on her. This felt different but couldn't trust that it really was Jo she'd heard talking to her. Hands ran over her chest and she was afraid that John had returned. She began to struggle wildly, please that her body finally seemed to be fighting back. She could hear voices calling to her but she couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. All she knew was that she had to keep him from hurting her any more.

When Lindsay began to struggle, she almost pulled her IV out. The medic called out for Jo to help hold her down. The medic knew she had to anchor that arm to something to prevent the distraught woman from pulling out the line. Seeing the nightstick lying beside Lindsay, medic realized she could use it almost like a makeshift splint. She picked up the innocent looking device ready to tape Lindsay's arm to it to prevent her from moving it.

Lindsay saw the stick and panicked. This was it. This time no one would stop him from using the nightstick to rape her. Her body bucked uncontrollably. "Please no, don't. God, please not that. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me anymore. Danny, where are you? Why won't you come for me?"

Sensing but not understanding that the nightstick was causing the sudden bad reaction, Jo snatched it out of the medic's hand and tossed it across the room. "Lindsay, calm down. It's okay. No one is going to hurt you anymore. You have to calm down thought. Easy Lindsay." Slowly the injured woman's body stilled as her eyes sought out Jo's face.

"Jo? Really here?"

Jo nodded through her tears. "I'm really here, kiddo. Everyone's here and worried about you."

Lindsay didn't have enough moisture in her body to produce any more tears as he brown eyes frantically searched the room. Her chest hurt and she couldn't catch her breath. Somehow she managed to pant out what she needed to say. "Danny. I need Danny, where is he?"

Not wanting to upset her any further, Jo stepped away from the bed and raised the radio. "Guys, send Danny down. Lindsay wants him."

"_He hasn't arrived yet. He was delayed by a wreck while enroute."_ Adam's explained.

Jo returned to Lindsay's side. "He'll be here soon, Lindsay. He's on his way. He's been going crazy with worry."

As darkness closed over her once more, Lindsay realized what seemed to be the painful truth. Her hallucinations earlier had been real. Danny was made at her for breaking her promise and for not being strong enough to fight against what had happened to her. He was so mad that he hadn't even come to her rescue.

- CSI: NY -

Author's note 2: I know you want to throw things at me. Lindsay should know that Danny would never leave her or think less of her because of what she went through. But this isn't rational Lindsay; this is drugged, starved, tortured Lindsay who isn't thinking clearly.


	13. Chapter 12

Author's Notes: This chapter starts where chapter 10 left off and runs parallel to chapter 11 but from Danny's perspective. Toward the end it will pick up with Chapter 11.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 12<p>

The storm of emotions that had been brewing in Danny for the last 48 hours was just about to come to a cataclysmic head. He could feel it as he stood there listening to the team discuss Atwood's offer. The brief thunderstorms of anger he had displayed thus far were insignificant rain showers compared to the hurricane building just below the edge. Logically he knew that no one outside of Atwood himself wanted to accept the deal or even thought it was a good thing. He didn't think anyone was under the disbelief that Lindsay would survive if they allowed Atwood to take her with him for any period of time. Atwood had practically been gloating over the fact that he had raped Lindsay and his body language promised that if given the chance he would do it or worse again. In any other circumstance the ludicrous offer would have never had a second consideration. But five lives stood in the balance, lives that would be lost in the close foreseeable future if nothing was done. Four of those lives would be saved if the offer was accepted.

Officers and firefighters risked their lives on an almost daily basis in order to protect the lives and property of civilians. It was a risk they all willingly accepted as part of their jobs but one that they hoped would never be fully realized. Even though he hated the thought of them accepting Atwood's deal, and hate it he did, there was at least a possibility of Lindsay surviving the ordeal. The idea that Atwood could get his hands on his beautiful perfect-enough-for-him wife was horrific, but to think of willingly handing her over was more than any man should have to face. They may have no choice but to hand her over to the devil himself in order to save her life, but he didn't have to like it and he didn't have to stay around and watch. He walked away feeling like he'd just turned a virgin over to be sacrificed to an angry god. The further away he walked, the harder it became to resist the temptation to go back and hurt Atwood as much he feared the man had hurt Lindsay. By the time he reached the bullpen, it was either run for the door or go back and slice off the man's offensive appendage, slice by deli thin slice.

Not wanting anyone to witness the fury of the storm within as it unleashed it's worse over him, he made a beeline for the alleyway to the side of the station. He lashed out at the wall needing to hurt someone or something. His fist collided with the brick wall several times before he twisted and slid down the wall, cradling his busted, bleeding hand to his chest. The scream of pain that tore from his throat was from the emotional pain that no physical injury could come close to equaling. Drawing his knees to his chest, he rested his head on his knees crying. He wasn't sure how long he had sat there when his phone rang.

He expected it to be Mac or Flack calling to check on him but the picture ID on his phone was of his mother instead. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions before he said hello. Instead of Anna Messer's strong voice, it was the one voice outside of his wife's that could melt his heart.

"_Hi, Daddy. I love you." _

Danny wiped his eyes as if she could see the tears. "Hey, Lucy Bear, I love you more. You being a good girl?"

"_Course, Daddy."_ He could almost picture her rolling her eyes at him and almost chuckled. "_Daddy, you sounds sad. You miss Mommy too?"_

Perceptive little angel, he thought as he let the sound of her voice wash over him like a balm. "Yeah, baby, I miss her very much. I know you thought we'd find her yesterday but we are trying very hard."

"_I know, Daddy. You gived me lots of hugs when I was so sad. They made the sadness not so sad. Do you need some hugs?" _His daughter's affirmation that he hadn't been completely useless the other night warmed his heart. Amazing how his beautiful and innocent daughter could know exactly what he needed, exactly when he needed it.

"Lucy, you think you could give me hugs if I came to Nonna's?"

She giggled. _"I'll give you my bestest most super-duper hugs."_

"I'll be there soon. Love you, Lucy-Bear." Danny hung up the phone and returned it to its holster without another thought. A lesser man might feel shame in admitting that he needed the support of a two-year old child. However a two minute conversation with Lucy had already started to dispel the storm surging through him. He climbed on his motorcycle and took off. He never heard his phone beep its warnings to him as he rode toward Staten Island.

As soon as he pulled into the driveway, Lucy came running out to meet him. She must have been watching for him. Climbing off the bike, he knelt down and held out his arms, allowing her to run directly into him. He wrapped his arms around her holding her close. Her small hands patted he sides of his arms comfortingly as she squeezed him back.

"Nonna made skettie for lunch. You eats some too? It's your fav'it."

"Sounds great," he lied. After all the images Atwood's words had created in him, food of any sort was the last thing he wanted but he knew a refusal would bring about his mother's wrath and he couldn't handle any more arguments right then. He carried her inside the house to the kitchen where his mother was working on lunch. As soon as Anna Messer saw his hand, she exploded anyway.

"Daniel Anthony Messer, what have you been fighting? A brick wall?" He hung his head sheepishly that she was right at the first guess. Lucy twisted in his arms to get a better look at it. Her eyes widened at the sight of his swollen, bloodied hand.

"Oh my poor Daddy. I kiss you ouchie better." He obligingly held it up and allowed her to place a feather light kiss on the worst of the busted knuckles.

Mrs. Messer frowned. "Make-it-better kisses might heal the heart but not the wound. I'm going to bandage that up. Lucy, I think you have time for one more Dora before we eat lunch."

With a resigned sigh, he sat at the table and allowed his mother to doctor his hand. While she did, he filled her in on the latest developments including the offer Atwood had made. "How will Lindsay ever forgive us if we let Atwood take her and he does more unspeakable things to her? Or worse, how do I explain to Lucy that Mommy won't be coming home because we cared more about four strangers."

Mrs. Messer sat down opposite his son and patted his arm comfortingly. "Stop that kind of talk. Whatever happens, you'll help each other through it. I'm not saying it's necessarily going to be easy or without pain, but the two of you will do what it takes. That's what love does."

Lucy came back into the kitchen and climbed up in Danny's lap. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. "Dora over already?"

She shook her head. "No, I watch Dora later. Right now I snuggles with you."

Danny's cupped the side of her head with his hand and held it against his chest. The only way this moment could be any better would be for Lindsay to be right beside them. Even during lunch, Lucy remained in his lap occasionally stretching up to give him a sauced stained kiss. Once lunch was over, his mother shooed them both from the kitchen so that she could clean up. Danny and Lucy went to the living room to watch Dora. He sat in his father's recliner with the two-year-old snuggled up against him. He absently ran the fingers up and down her arm. She kept up a running commentary of the episode until the very end when she became strangely quiet. He looked down and saw that she had drift off to sleep. He leaned his head down and kissed the top of her head. He turned off the VCR and ignored whatever was on the TV. He heard the phone ring twice before his mom picked it up. A second later, she called for him. He put the sleeping child on the chair and went to the phone. His mom looked worried as she whispered. "It's Adam from the lab."

Danny didn't want to take the phone. Didn't want to hear that Lindsay would once again be in the hands of that sadist. But he couldn't ignore the call; couldn't ignore anything that might give him information about Lindsay. He sighed as he held the phone to his ear. "Adam, what's up? Why are you calling my mom and not my cell?"

"_Between Flack and I, we've been calling for the last hour."_

He pulled his phone from its case and realized it was dead. "Shit, my battery died. I guess I've been forgetting to charge it. What's going on?"

He could tell Adam was hesitating and his heart sank. _"We got a lead on Lindsay's location. We're searching the area where we think she is. Do you know where the Caspmire District is?"_

A lead? Did that mean they hadn't had to take Atwood up on his deal? A slow smile started to form as he realized the nightmare might soon be over. "Yeah, I used to patrol that area back in the day. I'm on my way. I'll borrow Ma's car so I can charge my cell phone as I drive. Call me if there's any news. I'll be there in about thirty minutes, sooner if I don't obey the speed limit. If you find her before I get there make sure she knows I love her and that I'll be there soon."

Hearing his end of the conversation, Mrs. Messer handed over the keys to her car as soon as he hung up the phone. "Be careful and call me the minute you know something."

With one more kiss to his sleeping daughter, Danny flew out of the house to his mother's car. He threw on his seatbelt as he pulled out of the driveway. Putting the car in drive, he then plugged the cell phone into the charger his mother kept there. He wished he'd been able to take his bike; it was able to weave in and out of traffic so much easier than the car could. Despite the limitations of being in the car, he cut around cars and floored the gas whenever he could.

His heart was hammering in his chest. He couldn't believe he let his battery die at the time he needed his phone the most. He didn't regret going out to Staten Island at all; he had desperately needed that time with Lucy but he was furious that when the moment came for finding her, he hadn't been heard the call. What if Adam hadn't thought to try his mom?

He was making great time until traffic came to a complete standstill A pretty extensive wreck had occurred about two hundred yards ahead and it didn't look like traffic would be moving anytime soon. He called Adam and gave him a quick update and then once more hung up the phone, fuming. Lindsay was about to be rescued and he was stuck in traffic. After an agonizingly slow five minutes, his patience reached an end. Maneuvering the car between the vehicle in front of and behind him, he pulled onto the brief shoulder of the road and turned on his hazards. With little regard to what was going on around him, he floored past the wreck amid angry honks and yells.

At long last he came up behind the mobile unit van and parked. He ran to the side of the van and pulled open the door. Adam quickly gave him the address and Danny was once more off. He ran to the building intending not to stop until he was at Lindsay's side. Mac met him just inside the door. The older man's expression was grim.

"How is she, Mac?"

Danny couldn't remember a time when he'd seen Mac look so uncertain and frightened. It almost scared him more than if he had come directly out with bad news. "Jo's with her and has requested the rest of us stay back for now. I'm not going to lie or sugar coat it for you, from the sound of Jo's voice I think it must be bad. She called back just a moment ago asking for you. Go down that hall, last door on the left. Danny, before you go in, take a moment and get a clear head. If you go in all freaked out, you'll only upset her more."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

After Lindsay went limp Jo looked to the medic in panic. "What happened? Why did she pass out?"

"I'm surprised she was conscious to begin with." The medic admitted. She knew Detective Danville was worried about her friend but her priority had to be her patient. Pulling out her stethoscope, she listened to the injured woman's breathing. "Her breathing is labored but she's got breath sounds on both sides." She clipped something to Lindsay's finger and read the display. "Pulse ox is 87. She needs oxygen but it's going to be hard to even use a mask with her nose broken." She rummaged in her jump bag until she found a mask made for a larger man. It would fit more comfortably on her face but wouldn't provide the best seal. She was just hooking up the oxygen when they heard footsteps running down the hall.

Danny skidded to a stop at the doorway and forgot how to breathe. Nothing in his imagination had prepared him for the sight of his wife lying there looking so hurt and broken. Fragile was never a word he'd thought he'd ever use to describe his wife. She could tackle suspects twice her size and barely have a hair out of place, yet that was the best word he could use. If he hadn't been able to see the almost painful rise and fall of her chest, he'd have a hard time believing she was still alive. At the same time though, she was the most beautiful sight in the world.

"Montana?" He seldom used the familiar moniker anymore but he wanted Lindsay to reminded of a less painful time even in her unconsciousness. He took faltering step after faltering step until he was able to drop to his knees beside her. Jo moved out of the way to allow him to get closer. He wanted to crush her against him and never let go but at the same time was afraid to touch her, afraid to cause her any more pain. "Montana, if you can hear me open those beautiful brown eyes and look at me."

Somehow his voice penetrated the fog that was clouding Lindsay's brain. She wanted to cry, scream, curse her mind for being so cruel as to keep providing her with the voice she so longed to hear. How many times now had she heard Danny's voice only for it to turn out to be just another hallucination? Maybe if she didn't open her eyes to look at him, he wouldn't start blaming her for what had happened. She winced at the thought of once more hearing him tell her he didn't love her anymore.

Danny saw the wince and despite it's painful appearance, hoped it meant that she could hear him. His sole focus was on his wife and he didn't even notice that the other women had pulled back to give them some privacy. Overcoming his fear of touching her, he lightly caressed the skin along her jaw line. "I love you so much. You know that, don't you?"

This time it sounded so much like the real thing, Lindsay took a chance at forcing her eyes open once more. She turned her head in the direction of the voice and Danny's worried, scruffy face. His face widened into a grin when he saw her eyes open. "There's my girl."

"You're here." The oxygen mask muffled her already hoarse voice and Danny had to strain to understand her.

He gave her his patented "what are you talking about?" looks. "Of course I'm here. I'm just sorry I wasn't here sooner."

The medic put a hand on his shoulder. She had returned with her partner and a stretcher. "We need to move her now."

He didn't want to move away from her but knew that she needed to get to the hospital. Giving her jaw line one more caress, he moved away. As soon as he was out of her line of sight, Lindsay's reaction was immediate.

"Damn it, no. Not again. Quit fucking with me."

Unlike before, no one had trouble hearing her this time even through the oxygen mask. Danny stared at her in disbelief. In over six years of knowing her, he'd never heard her use that word before. Not even after hours of delivery pain. Even though he had no idea what her words meant, it hit him like a truck and told him, even more than her current physical appearance, just how badly this entire experience had affected her. More than just the word was the pain it was encased in. It was if she'd been pushed as far as she could possibly go and then asked to go even further. It was too much for him.

He pushed past the paramedics who were preparing to move her to the stretcher. Without a second thought but being mindful of the IV, he put one arm under her knees and the other behind her back and lifted her into his arms, cradling her like he used to carry Lucy. She stiffened at first in fear but then as if recognizing his scent relaxed against him. She painfully brought the arm that had the IV attached closer to his chest. Those fingers closed around the fabric of his shirt, belying what little strength she actually possessed.

"You shouldn't have picked her up like that. She could have injuries we don't know about yet. Set her down easily on the stretcher. We don't want to risk her puncturing a rib with a broken rib." The newly arrived paramedic chastised.

Lindsay whimpered, burrowing deeper into Danny's hold despite the pain the movement caused. Her mind might still be tormenting her in a new cruel way but from the moment she was in his arms, she felt safe for the first time since this whole nightmare began. She didn't want that feeling to end even if she was in the arms of just another illusion.

Danny was horrified. He had acted on instinct when he picked her up and hadn't even thought about causing her further injury. He started to lean over the stretcher to put her down when he caught her painful plea.

"Don't let go."

"It's okay, I got you, Baby." He brushed a kiss against the side of her head, thankful beyond words that he could hold her in his arms like this once more. "Nobody's taking you away from me again."

The love the young couple had for each other was so palpable that the medic who had originally been treating Lindsay raised the back of the stretcher to a sitting position. This went against protocols but she felt like Danny's presence might be the best medicine for Lindsay right then. "Why don't you sit on the stretcher with her. It'll be easier for us to stabilize the IV and the oxygen. It'll also minimize the risk to her ribs. Despite the trauma she's obviously been through, she feels secure in your arms. That's something we don't carry in our jump bags."

Danny took her suggestion and eased onto the stretcher, trying to not to jar her too much. The medic covered Lindsay's almost naked body with a blanket and secured the straps loosely around them Giving the oxygen mask and IV a quick check, they started to wheel the young couple down the hallway. Feeling her body trembling in his arms, he brushed his lips against her temple and spoke soft reassurances in her ear. He kept the hand around her back in place bracing her against him but the other hand he brought up to run his fingers through her limp brown hair. The movement usually relaxed her when she was tense and he hoped it would have the same effect here. Sure enough her eyes were starting to droop and then close, her face slack as sleep not unconsciousness overcame her.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

After Danny's arrival, Jo had faded into the background in order to give them a more private reunion. Feeling a little adrift, she wandered back down the hall with the medic. Mac was the first to notice her. She wiped the tears from her eyes; seeing this he crossed to her and hugged her comfortingly. He was glad Jo was the one to find Lindsay even though he had really wanted to see for his own eyes how she was. It had taken every ounce of self-control he possessed not to rush down the hall and check on her first hand. However Lindsay's needs trumped his wants and he had stayed back as requested. "How is she?"

Jo shook her head not sure how to explain it. "Mac, she was just so un-Lindsay-like. Physical injuries aside, I don't know how she'll recover from the emotional trauma. It was like she didn't even trust her own eyes."

"She probably didn't." Flack joined them with Adam on his heels. "Dr. Neil Waterson, one of the hostages, was telling me that the one time they gave them water, they drugged four of the bottles. They poured two of those bottles down Lindsay. He could only go by what the captors told them and her reactions but it looks like the water contained LSD, PCP, and Liquid X. I don't want to even think about what kind of images those drugs brought out of her. Nothing good, I'm sure."

Jo looked around. The other four hostages were no longer in the room and she assumed they had already been transported to the hospital. Sid and Hawkes were also missing. She asked about them. Mac explained. "Two of the hostages were in pretty serious shape. Even though they wanted to stay until we knew about Lindsay, they felt like their medical expertise was needed with the other hostages. How did Danny handle seeing her?"

"It upset him but he hid it well."

Hearing movement down the hall, Flack looked up. "Here they come."


	14. Chapter 13

Author's Notes: I think I have just figured out why I like cliffhangers so much - it's much easier to start a new chapter when the previous one left an obvious opening. This chapter has been difficult to get started and I think it was because I had such a bland ending to the previous chapter. This chapter is shorter than some of the others but I think it still packs a punch. As always reviews are appreciated and welcomed.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 13<p>

Detective Markson looked through the two-way mirror into the interrogation room where Atwood was still shackled to the table. His eyes darkened. He hadn't worked with the CSI team as much as Flack had but he had worked enough scenes with them to like the close-knit group of scientists/cops. Therefore, the image he had seen before leaving the warehouse was burned into his memory in Technicolor accuracy.

_As the stretcher came down the hall carrying Danny and Lindsay, the latter curled protectively in the former's arms, Mac, Flack, and Adam had gathered around to get their first look at their injured friend and colleague. Jo gave them the room since she'd already had the first hand reassurance that Lindsay was alive. With the blanket wrapped closely around her, the worst of her injuries were covered; however, what could be seen was sickening enough. Mac had put a hand lightly on the injured woman's shoulder careful not to startle or wake her. It was almost as if he was trying to channel his own strength into her with the simple touch. _

_No words were spoken among the team and yet so much feeling and emotion was exchanged. No one wanted to disturb Lindsay who, despite her injuries, looked almost peaceful. From his spot in the doorway of the large room the hostages had been kept in, Markson could see the slight rocking in Flack's jaw, a sure indicator of the anger the sight the broken woman had stirred in him. The medics, impatient to transport their patient, stated they were taking her to Queen of Mercy Hospital. Once the stretcher was out of sight, Mac cleared his throat._

"_I know we all want to go to the hospital with them but we still have a job to do here. Flack, I need you to go to the hospital to start taking statements as soon as any of the hostages, and that includes Lindsay, is able to give them. Sinclair has a CSI team from another department on standby to handle the processing here; he figured it would be difficult for us to stay objective, but we have to preserve the chain of custody here. I will stay here until they arrive but I need someone else to stay behind as well."_

_Adam quickly volunteered. Of the team, Markson knew him the least but it looked almost like he was relieved to have the opportunity. Jo took a few steps forward and gave Adam's arm a squeeze before crossing to Mac. "I'll stay behind with Adam. You go to the hospital with Flack. Danny seemed to be holding it together pretty well for Lindsay's sake but I saw how shaken he was when he first saw her. Eventually someone at the hospital is going to kick him out of Lindsay's room while she's examined and he's going to lose that composure. It would be better for him to have you there when he does."_

_Mac smiled gratefully. Markson left his spot in the doorway and approached. "What do you want me to do Detective Taylor?"_

_Looking almost like he had forgotten the other detective was there, Mac gave the question some consideration. "Go back to the station. Now that the hostages have been recovered, there's no need to keep the prisoners separated in the interrogation room. Oversee their transfer to a federal detention center. Do me a favor and make sure Atwood knows his son his dead and that we have the hostages alive and safe. Feel free to tell him exactly what he can do with his offer." The final sentence was delivered with a malice Markson had never heard in Taylor's tone._

That was how Markson currently found himself watching Atwood from the observation room. He wondered how anyone with any trace of humanity could treat another human with such callous disregard as was shown to the hostages. Leaving the observation room, he walked the few steps to the interrogation room. Atwood smirk changed to a look of confusion as he came in.

"You ain't the same detective."

Markson smiled. "Detective Taylor is a little busy right now. He's on his way to the hospital to be with the officer you tormented and tortured. She and the other hostages are now safe by the way."

Atwood frowned. "Not possible. Your bluffing hoping I'll give something away."

"Really? Does the Caspmire District ring any bells for you? 308 Colbert Street to be exact. I don't bluff, Atwood. Your son gave up the location before he blew his brains out." He knew it was a callous way to break the news but he didn't want to show any compassion to the man. Markson thought of the pain he'd seen in Carla Antsworth's eyes and the anguish he'd witnessed when his co-workers had taken in the sight of their injured friend. He wanted to pay Atwood back for at least part of the misery he'd caused. He came around the table and got close to Atwood's face. "You lose."

He never noticed that Atwood's hands were no longer in the cuffs that were suppose to hold him. Never saw them come up until the edge of his hand connected with the bridge of his nose. The heel of his hand struck next pushing the cartilage of the nose upward. Markson was dead before he ever hit the ground.

Atwood stood. He removed the dead detective's sport jacket and quickly donned it before rummaging through dead man's pockets for his keys and wallet. The last souvenir he took was the gold badge which he clipped to his waistband. He looked in the mirror and was satisfied with what he saw. Leaving the interrogation room, he closed and locked the door before heading into the bullpen. No one stopped him or gave him a second glance. He was whistling by the time he made it to the street. There were three main lessons he learned during his stay. The first was that the only difference between some of the guards at Rikers and the prisoners was that at the end of the day, the guards got to go home. The second lesson had been on how to pick any kind of lock; it had been easy enough once he had slipped the small swiss army knife out of its hiding spot in his shoe. The third lesson, perhaps the most satisfying as he remembered the shocked surprise in Markson's eyes as the life went out of him, was how to kill a man with his bare hands.

"Hope you've missed me, Copper. You might have gotten away from me one time but it won't happen again. I win."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Danny couldn't take his eyes off his wife. He knew the road to recovery was going to be long and bumpy but right then he just wanted to focus on the fact that she was alive and once more in his arms where she belonged. He'd been afraid that she might be so traumatized by the experience that she would shun his touch.

The medic sitting beside them had pulled the blanket back and hat attached sticky pads in various spots on Lindsay's chest and side. Then she hooked colored leads onto the pads and looked at the readout of her heart. She also slipped the pulse oximeter back on Lindsay's finger. Danny saw her frown.

"What's wrong?"

"Her pulse-ox isn't coming up like I would like it to. It was 87 just on room air. With the supplemental oxygen it should be back up to close to 100 but it's only come up to 94. I'm worried that she might have a collapsed lung. I know you want to be close to her, but I need you to lay her down on the stretcher. I may have to intubate if it doesn't come up and I can't do that while you are holding her."

Fear clouded his eyes. He couldn't have come this close only to have to lose her. Once the medic unstrapped the belts, he shifted Lindsay onto the cot as gently as he could and eased away. His hand stayed in her hair as he watched her breathe. "Is it because I picked her up?"

The medic gave him a reassuring smile. "No. I watched the way you picked her up; you didn't jar her any more than we would have if we'd moved her. The bruises on her chest indicate massive blunt force trauma. There's no telling how many of her ribs were broken or how much she was battered about after breaking the ribs. It might not even be a collapsed lung; she has breath sounds on both sides."

She pulled the laryngoscope and tube from her bag. Danny's eyes widened as he saw them. He realized that she would have to insert the laryngoscope in Lindsay's mouth to insert the tube. He still had no idea what all she had to endure at the hands of her captors but the idea of something so foreign and scary looking being used on his wife upset him more than he would have thought. Logically he knew it might be necessary but he didn't want to see her hurt anymore than she already had. "Is that really necessary?"

"Janet, what's our ETA?"

"One or two minutes." The driver called back.

She put the intubation supplies back in her bag. "The doctor might decide to do it in the ER but I'll hold off for now. She's really lucky to have someone who loves her so much. She's going to need that."

"I'm the lucky one." Danny admitted.

Lindsay's eyes opened and she looked away, confused as to where she was. Danny knelt beside her immediately. "Hey, Babe. It's okay. I'm here. You're safe. You are in an ambulance."

He had to lean close to hear what she was whispering over the hum of the ambulance. He was pretty sure he heard the word _thirsty_. He glanced at the medic. "Can we give her some water?"

The medic shook her head. "We can't risk it in case she has to go into surgery. I'm sorry."

He sighed. "We'll get you something soon, Babe."

"Fuzzy."

"What's fuzzy? Your vision?" Danny probed gently. She barely shook her head.

"Your face. You haven't shaved."

Danny grinned, glad to hear her worried about something so mundane. "Yeah, well, I've been a little preoccupied."

Danny's face wasn't the only thing that was fuzzy. Lindsay's thoughts were fuzzy as well but things were making more sense after her nap. She realized that this was the real Danny and not another cruel hallucination. She was grateful that he didn't seem to be repulsed. "I'm sorry."

He put a finger over the face mask as if to silence her. "Shh. You got nothing to apologize for."

The ambulance pulled up outside the Emergency entrance and the next few minutes were spent transferring Lindsay from the back of the ambulance to a cubicle in the ER. A nurse took her vitals and listened as Danny explained what he knew. She pulled back the blanket to look at Lindsay's injuries but then recovered her. The nurse patted her arm comfortingly. "Dr. Maddox will be in shortly."

With a backward glance to make sure Lindsay was okay, Danny followed the nurse out of the cubicle stopping her just out of Lindsay's earshot. "Dr. Maddox is a female doctor, right?"

"No, he's not. Look, I know what you are thinking but we don't have a female ER doctor on call today. He's a great doctor and he knows how to handled assault cases. When it comes time for the SOEC kit, our forensic nurse, who is female, will do that."

Danny returned to Lindsay's side. The idea that his wife needed a Sexual Offence Evidence Collection kit made him physically ill. The doctor came in a few minutes later closing the curtain behind him. He introduced himself to Danny and Lindsay. Before he touched the blanket, he explained what he needed to do.

"Mrs. Messer. I need to check your injuries. I'm going to have pull the blanket back and I'm going to have to touch you to feel for broken bones but your husband can stay here while I do that. He can even hold your hand if you want him to. Is that okay?" His voice was very gentle and soft. Danny had to admit that he was impressed with the compassion the doctor was showing. Lindsay nodded but Danny could see the fear in her eyes. He took her hand that was bruised and puffy from being restrained and gave it a slight squeeze.

The doctor tried to be gentle and quick but still the idea of any man touching her after what she'd been through caused her to tense up and bite her lower lip to keep from screaming. Once he was satisfied, he recovered her. "Okay. I'm going to order a CT of your chest and your head. It'll help me see what's going on with your nose and your ribs. It'll also tell me if everything is okay with your lungs. Once they take the pictures, our forensic nurse will come in and perform the SOEC."

"NO!" Lindsay's voice was horse but firm. An alarm on the vital screen sounded as her heart rate jumped up. "I don't need one of those. I wasn't raped."


	15. Chapter 14

Author's Notes: This chapter may be another tough one to read as it deals primarily with how Lindsay is coping with her attack and Danny's reaction to what is going on. Remember this is going to be a difficult journey for the both of them, not mention their friends who love them.

Disclaimer: I don't own them but I think the characters are starting to own me.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 14<p>

She wasn't raped. For just a minute, Danny wanted to believe that his worst fears hadn't come true, wanted to trust in her words not in what his eyes were telling him. For just a moment, he needed the hope that maybe just maybe everything was going to be okay and that they could put this whole nightmare behind them once her bruises faded.

But that moment passed and Danny knew Lindsay wasn't being honest - not with them and maybe not with herself. He couldn't fault her for it; if he, who hadn't been in the clutches of a gang of sadistic bastards, had needed a moment away from reality, wouldn't her need be even greater?

Dr. Maddox didn't respond at first to her statement. He busied himself with checking the vitals that had the machine alarming. He didn't like her O2 saturation any more than the paramedic had. His first instinct was to switch from supplemental oxygen to one of the forms of assisted mechanical ventilation to improve her rate but he decided to hold off until after he got her scans back and he was sure of what course of treatment would be best. The poor woman had been through enough already and he didn't want to add to her stress any more than he had to. Instead, he turned up the oxygen rate a little more hoping it would help. Only then did he address his patient's protest.

"We can't force you to have the sexual assault exam but I strongly recommend it. Maybe you weren't raped in the way people commonly associate with the word; however your state of undress and the bite marks I saw when I examined you tells me something of a sexual nature could have taken place. Legally, any form of forced penetration is classified as sexual assault…"

"I'm a cop; I know the law." Her tone was clearly biting even if her hoarse, ragged voice made her seem more pitiful than angry.

Dr. Maddox didn't take offense. "Then as an officer, you know how hard it can be to capture and then prosecute these offenders. There could be incriminating evidence on your body. I'm sure you want the man or men who did this to you arrested."

Danny knew the exam was important, just as important as any of the other medical tests. But at the same time, he couldn't stand the expression in Lindsay's eyes. If giving into her on this issue, even knowing it was wrong, helped her cope a little better, was that so bad? He could almost feel her erecting an impenetrable wall around herself and was afraid she was about to shut everyone, including him, out if they pushed too much. He wasn't sure he could handle that. With a troubled sigh, he admitted. "We have the men responsible in custody already."

Lindsay looked at him sharply, her heart rate once more sending the machine into fits. Had he talked to John? Did he know already what happened to her? Despite the worst that her mind had thrown her, she knew logically he would never blame or hate her for it. Still, once the truth was out there, there would be no taking it back and it would have to be dealt with. She wasn't sure she was strong enough to handle that just yet.

She searched his eyes for some clue as to what he thought he knew. Though he was trying hard to hide it, she could see the revulsion flickering there like the flame of a candle. In her heart, she knew it wasn't directed toward her but at the idea that anyone had hurt her in such a way. Still it caused her to close her eyes and tremble. In no more than a whisper she pleaded. "No exam. I wasn't raped." Maybe if she said it enough, everyone including herself would believe it.

Realizing he couldn't push her much more, Dr. Maddox relented. "It's not something that has to be done immediately but time is a consideration. Let's run those other tests first to see what treatment options we have for your nose and ribs. After that, I'll have the forensic nurse come in to talk to you; even if you don't consent to the full exam, maybe the two of you can compromise. Someone from the blood bank should be in shortly to take some blood. Once those tests come back, we can see about giving you something for pain."

Once they were all alone, Danny perched gingerly on the edge of her bed facing her. He reached for her left hand but she snatched it away just as his hand brushed against it. The rejection stung until he saw her trying to hide the fingers from him. He had a feeling he knew what she was worried about. He held up his own left hand revealing her wedding band that had been sitting on his pinky since Mac had returned it to him. When she refused to meet his eyes, he was sure he was right about what was wrong. "Missing something?"

His tone was light and contained not even the hint of recrimination. She opened her mouth beneath the oxygen mask to speak but he stopped her. "Shh, don't talk; your poor voice sounds like its been through the ringer." Hell, everything about her appeared as if it had been through a ringer. "Just listen. You took a mighty big risk hiding that evidence the way you did. I don't even want to think about what could have happened to you if they had caught you doing it. I think you must be one of the bravest and smartest people I know. You broke the case and helped lead us to the bad guys in time to save you and the others. I'm so proud of you. I know you must be missing this ring on your finger but how about I hold on to it until the swelling goes down in your hand and we learn if they are going to have to operate. But I promise you that as soon as possible, I will return it to you."

Lindsay nodded and this time allowed him to take her hand. Her eyes burned with the need to cry the tears that just wouldn't form. What had she ever done that made her so deserving of Danny's love? He gave her hand a small squeeze and then fixed her with a look that said he had something serious to discuss. "Linds, I'll support your decision on this, but we both know you should have the kit done. You'd be the first person to encourage any other woman in your position of its importance. It's not just the evidence that you might be carrying. What if you have injuries that need to be treated?"

Lindsay tried to lift her right hand. Her arm didn't want to cooperate after the long hours it had spent locked in the same position but at last it shakily did her bidding. She reached for the oxygen mask to remove it. It was bad enough that her voice was almost completely gone from her earlier screams but the mask muffling it even more was more than she could handle. Danny tried to stop her but seeing that she was getting agitated he lifted it enough so that she could talk unencumbered by the mask but still get the therapeutic benefit of the oxygen.

"I wasn't raped so there's no evidence, no injuries."

"The SOEC would confirm that." Danny argued.

Lindsay whimpered with a pain that had little to do with her physical injuries. "Why can't you just trust me? Why make me go through a useless exam to prove it. Please, Danny."

She sounded so hurt and betrayed by his lack of faith in her word that he started to think that maybe she really did believe she hadn't been raped. It went against everything his training as a cop was telling him was the right way to handle this. But everything his two years of training as a husband countermanded his police training. After all she had been through, he wasn't about to force her to do something she was this strongly against. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Like I said, I'll support you if that's your decision. I'm sorry, Babe. I'm so sorry about all of this. Sorry I didn't go to the bank on the first after I got off shift. Sorry I couldn't get to you sooner to prevent you from being hurt. I'm sorry I can't just take away your pain now. I'm sorry if you felt like I wasn't trusting or listening to you. I'm just sorry."

Lindsay, though relieved that he wasn't going to press her, heard the worry and pain in his voice. She knew he disapproved of her decision and hated that she was disappointing him. She closed her eyes so that she didn't have to see the hurt in his. "Nothing to apologize for, remember?"

The young couple didn't have long alone together before the room exploded in activity. A man from the blood lab came in to draw blood just as he was finished collecting his samples a female tech arrived to take her to have her CT scan. She informed Danny that he would not be able to come with Lindsay but would have to wait. The tests would probably take anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour. Danny wasn't happy about letting Lindsay out of his sight for even a minute but didn't have a choice in the matter.

After Lindsay was wheeled out, he slumped in the hardback chair against the wall and buried his head in his hands. He felt woefully inadequate to help Lindsay through the pain she was experiencing.

Flack stuck his head in not long after Lindsay was taken away. "Hey, Danno. They said at the desk they took Linds for tests. How is she?" He came in and took the chair next to Danny.

"She's just so freaking hurt." Danny's voice started to get loud but he got in under control pretty quickly. If he blew his cool here, they wouldn't let him stay and that wouldn't help Lindsay. "Damn it, Flack, you only saw her face - her body is a thousand times worse. It looks like those bastards took a frickin' baseball bat to her whole body. I almost hate that we have 'em in custody cuz I'd love the opportunity to cap 'em while resisting arrest."

"The ER doc says that Lindsay doesn't want to have the SOEC performed.." Flack's tone was even, almost conversational, but Danny knew it was far from just an ordinary statement.

"She says she wasn't raped so it wasn't necessary." Danny replied. "The evidence to the contrary is there; I know that, but she seems so convinced. Maybe she wasn't."

Flack didn't want to be the one to break the news to Danny but someone had to. "Maybe she just doesn't remember what happened. According to one of the other hostages, Lindsay was drugged last night. One of the drugs she was supposedly given was Liquid Ecstasy. If she was, she might not remember what happened to her for days if ever."

Elbows resting on his knees, Danny covered his face in his hands. "One of the drugs? What else was she 'supposedly' given?"

"LSD and PCP, maybe others but they weren't named. We'll know more when the tox screen comes back. Danny, whether she remembers it or not, Lindsay was technically raped in front of the other hostages. Vaginal penetration by Atwood, Sr.'s fingers no more than thirty minutes after she was drugged." He gave Danny time to process the grim news.

Danny swallowed hard. He had known rape was more of a probability than a possibility but that didn't make hearing the truth any easier. Neither did knowing the bastard had used his fingers instead of his dick. His body shook with anger and pain. He glanced up at his best friend, not wanting to but needing to know the whole story. "Just the one time?" As if one time wasn't too much as it was.

"Only time that has been confirmed. But, Danny, Dr. Waterson says that very early this morning, Senior came for Lindsay again. He didn't know what happened once Atwood removed her from the room cause she never came back but said that Atwood's intentions were clear. He also said they could hear Lindsay screaming from down the hall for what seemed like hours after the captors left. I don't know that she got off so easy the second time."

Danny wouldn't call any of it getting off easy but he knew what Flack was trying to delicately tell him. "She doesn't want the exam. I don't know if I told her the truth if it would change her mind."

"Danny, if she was drugged then she can't legally give her consent or refuse treatment. It's up to her next of kin, you, to make those decisions. It's a no-brainer, Danny, she needs the exam. Forget the evidence; I don't care about that. She could have injuries that need to be treated."

Danny sighed. He knew Lindsay's body better than he knew his own, knew how small and tight she was. He was ashamed to admit there had been a few times especially early in their relationship, when he knew he had unintentionally hurt her while making love. Those times when things had gotten too heated too fast between them and he had entered her without making sure she was completely ready for him. The first time it had happened he'd been so scared that she would hate him as much as he hated himself for causing her pain. Instead she had assured him that it wasn't his fault. They had both been so caught up in the passion that they hadn't stop to think of the consequences. There was no doubt in his mind that if the bastard had roughly touched his wife in her most intimate places, she would have at least minor injuries. "How do I give consent for something I know she's totally against, even if I know it's the right thing?"

Hating what this was doing to his friend, Flack shook his head. How much more could the young couple take? "You're a father. You take Lucy for her shots even though she hates them. You do it because you love them enough to know sometimes you have to hurt for a little bit in order to avoid bigger pain later."

"Lindsay has to take Lucy for her shots. The one time I tried, I bolted from the doctor's office with Lucy when the first tear fell. I'm a push over when my girls get teary. I can give consent; I know that it's the right thing to do. But I can't be the bad guy who tells her she has to have it. I just can't do it. Is that horrible of me?" Danny's eyes pleaded with his best friend and Flack's heart went out to him.

"No, I'd say its human of you. Mac's in the waiting room. Sign the form and go wait with him. When Lindsay comes back from her scan, I'll try to convince her to agree to the exam. Whether I'm successful or not, I'll be here with her when the forensic nurse does the examination. I won't leave her for a second. As your friend and as Lindsay's friend, let me do this for you."

Tears ran freely down Danny's cheeks. Slowly he nodded his agreement.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

The CT machine made clicking noises as it passed over her chest and head. This machine wasn't as loud or as claustrophobic as an MRI. The gown the female tech who had brought her to the CT had helped her put on felt strange after lying around practically naked all day long.

"Okay, hold your breath again." Lindsay tensed at the male voice but did as instructed. Though a female tech had brought her from the ER to imaging room, it was a male radiographer who was performing the scans. Fortunately, he was in another room away from the radiation but every time his voice came on the intercom asking her to hold her breath, fear raced through her and she had to force herself not to panic.

She wished Danny had been able to come with her. There was something about his presence that made the extreme anxiety, the feelings of helplessness and fear, and even the pain seem less severe. She knew he was worried about her, worried about what had happened to her. How much had John told him about what he did to her? How would Danny ever be able to hold her, kiss her, make love to her the same way again? Would she feel comfortable enough to let him? She loved making love with her husband, had from that very first time on his pool table. He knew just how to make her melt and turn to putty in his hands. How would what happened to her affect that? She knew he wouldn't push her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with. But, given the fact that she had insisted nothing happened to her, how would she explain it if she had a bad reaction to his touch?

As much as she wanted to deny it and wish it hadn't happened, John had raped her. She knew it could have been much worse, would have been much worse if he hadn't been interrupted both times but it had been bad enough. Bad enough that she was positive she had some bruising and maybe a couple of small tears from the rough and repeated insertion of his fingers into both her vaginal and rectal openings. She also wouldn't be surprised if his fingernails hadn't made small scratches inside her. The pain in her private area wasn't as bad as the pain from her other injuries but it was enough for her to know it was there. She didn't want to think about how much more she would be hurting if he had carried out what he had promised to do to her. At times she could still feel his fingers pumping in and out of her and she felt dirty and humiliated all over again.

She had to tell Danny the truth, she knew that. He would want to know in order to help her recover and he deserved to know as the man she loved with her complete heart. But the thought of confessing what the sick SOB had done to her, what he had wanted to do to her caused her heart to seize with fear. Besides, if she told him the truth, he would insist that she allow the forensic nurse to examine her and that scared her more than anything. She couldn't stand the though of anything, even for the sake of a medical test, being inserted inside her so soon after John's painful intrusion. What if it caused the pain to be worse?

"Okay, Mrs. Messer, we're done here. I'm coming in to help you back on the stretcher." The tech called over the intercom. She was glad it was over, lying flat made it harder to breathe even with the oxygen mask on. She thought she heard a bump and then she heard footsteps coming closer. She turned her head expecting to see the tech but was horrified at the image before her. There was John, wearing an orderly's outfit grinning lustily at her.

"Miss me? Told you I'd be back to finish what I started."


	16. Chapter 15

Author's Notes: Sorry the update is late, but I got caught up watching the new episode instead of working on this chapter. For those of you who are wondering what's happened to the other hostages, you find out a little about a couple of them in this chapter.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 15<p>

Lindsay's heart pounded painfully against her bruised chest. Had they not disconnected her from the monitor when they brought her to CT, she was sure it would have been going off right then. How had John found her? More importantly, how the hell had he gotten out of jail?

"I got to meet Danny. You should have seen him squirm when I told him how close you and I had become. Of course that's nothing compared to how close we're going to become." He leaned closer to her, running his hand up and down the right side of her arm.

"Let's get you back on the stretcher and we'll go for a ride." No longer was it her vision that was acting like a kaleidoscope. She could see every nightmarish feature of him in crystal clear clarity. Now it was her hearing that was playing havoc with her brain signals. One moment his voice was that same oily arrogance that grated on her soul like a million razor blades. The next he sounded younger, friendlier, like a totally different person. One hand eased under her knees and another went behind her back, drawing her closer. She whimpered in fear and the hands stopped. "Sorry about that."

Even though the voice was the different younger one, the words were the same that he had said after seeing the teeth impressions he'd left on her skin after viciously biting her nipple. She hadn't believed him then and she didn't believe him now. Especially when his hand snaked under her gown blazing an almost fiery, painful trail up her inner thigh. She knew exactly what he planned to do with that hand, how he planned to hurt her once again. No matter the consequences, she wasn't about to let him have that power over her again. Something snapped inside her and she began to fight back. At last her body seemed to cooperate with her brain's commands and she shot her fist out connecting solidly with his groin. He yelled but didn't go down. She scrambled backward off the table keeping it between him and her.

"You Bitch. You just want me to make it as painful as I can don't you? Does Danny know you like the rough stuff?" His usual arrogant voice was back now laced with rage

Lindsay knew she had to get away and took a faltering step away from the table and toward the door. Her legs refused to support her and she went down heavily on her knee. She bit back the cry of pain and started to crawl away. As she did, she pulled the oxygen mask off and then gave the IV line a good yank. Blood ran down her arm from the hole the catheter left but she ignored it. Her only focus was getting away. She could hear him walking towards her, his footsteps slow. He could be on her in a second but he was playing with her, letting her think she had a chance of escaping, like a cat would play with a mouse. He was laughing at her, the sound washing over her and trying to drown her in fear. Her chest was tight with pain and every breath seemed more painful and labored than the previous one. Black spots formed behind her eyes and she was afraid she was going to pass out. If she did, he would be on her in an instant.

"You can run but you can't hide. You can't escape me."

She dared to look over her shoulder to see how close he was to her but didn't see him. Looking back at the door that was her goal, she screamed when she saw he'd gotten ahead of her. He gave her shoulders a push, making her fall back onto the floor. He put his knees between her legs spreading them apart. Pushing the hem of her gown up to her stomach, he gave her a leer that was both predatory and lustful.

"Don't worry, Copper, this is going to hurt a lot."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"Thanks for the update… No, we don't know anything yet; they are running tests now… I will." Mac closed his phone. Danny was sitting in the chair next to him staring at some invisible spot on the floor; he could have been a million miles away for all the awareness he seemed to be paying him. Mac wanted to help the younger man but was at a loss to know how. He cleared his throat. "That was Hawkes. He's up on the surgical floor. Sam Byers, the hostage that had been stabbed, is out of surgery. He's in critical condition because of the blood loss but the doctors are cautiously optimistic he'll make a full recovery."

Danny shook his head. "Full recovery, is that even possible for any of them? The physical injuries will heal. The doctors and time can fix those. Days will turn to weeks and slowly the bruises will fade and the bones will heal. But emotionally, how do you recover from torture like that? They drugged her, Mac. Hallucinogenics that will haunt her even after all trace of them leave her blood system. It's possible that months from now something could trigger a flashback and throw her right back into this nightmare. There's nothing the doctors can do for that and time's not necessarily gonna make it easier. And then there's the…" He swallowed hard, unable to say the word.

Mac leaned back in his chair watching him carefully. "Rape? It's okay to say the word you know."

"No, it's not okay. It's the complete opposite of okay. There's no way that word should ever be used in the same vicinity of Lindsay's name unless she's working a case that involves it. It tears me up to think that that bastard put his hands not only on her but inside her. And to make it worse, she apparently doesn't even remember that it happened cause of the drugs she was given. We might not ever know exactly what he did to her. How does she recover from that? I love her so much Mac but I don't know how to make this better for her. This ain't something I can fix with some soothing words and a make-it-better-kiss. I look at her and I see her fear and I don't even know exactly what it is she's afraid of. Damn it." He pushed himself out of the chair and started to pace back and forth. After several passes, he stopped and ran his hand through his hair. He glanced back at Mac. "I should be back there with her. Flack is about to shatter her delusions that she came out of this unscathed. Then, either with or without her permission, she's going to go through an exam that is by necessity very intimate and intrusive. She didn't do anything wrong but it's like she's being punished for it."

Mac waited to see if Danny had anything else he needed to unload. Listening to him was perhaps the only thing he could do for him at the moment. "There's no denying the physical recovery will be easier than the emotional recovery. It's going to be hard and it's going to be painful for both of you. For now, she's going to need a lot of support from you until she's strong enough to stand alone again. There's not a doubt in my mind that you have what it takes to do that. You will make things okay for her and she will recover. Just remember that its okay for you to need some support too. When it gets too much for you, let us pick up your slack. It's what family does."

"Why do I get the feeling you gave Lindsay pretty much the same speech after I got shot?"

Mac smiled thinly and shrugged. "That worked out okay didn't it?" Inside though he shuddered as he realized Danny was right, that was almost verbatim what he told Lindsay sitting in another waiting room not quite two years ago after a bullet almost took Danny's life and the doctor had informed them that Danny may not ever walk again. It wasn't fair that the young couple had already experienced so much trauma in their young marriage. He felt just as helpless as Danny did. He wanted to make this okay for the two of them but all he had were words that he hoped were enough to get them through the bad times.

Danny nodded and threw himself back into his chair. The two men sat in silence for several minutes until Mac's cell phone rang again. He answered it on the third ring. "Taylor….How the hell did that happen?" Mac's eyes darkened with undisguised anger. "How long ago? I want several unis here immediately. Keep me informed." He hung up the phone and looked at Danny.

How could he tell the distraught man that a bad situation had just gotten significantly worse? He decided it was better to just blurt it out, just rip the band-aid off without warning. "Atwood escaped. They don't know how but he killed Markson in the process. He's been in the wind now for about 45 minutes"

Danny stared at him in disbelief. "He's going to come after Lindsay. You heard him in that room. It's like he has a personal vendetta against her. I can't let him get close to her again."

Putting a hand on Danny's arm, Mac stopped him. "It's just as likely he's gone underground to avoid being caught. Still I have unis on the way and we'll put guards on all five of the hostages We will find him and we will not let him hurt Lindsay any more than he already has."

Danny stood. "I have to get to her. Have to make sure she's okay and then I'm not letting her out of my sight until that bastard is recaptured or dead."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Flack was pacing back and forth inside Lindsay's cubicle wondering how he was going to break the news to Lindsay that, despite her protests to the contrary, she had been raped. After talking to Dr. Waterson, he wasn't sure if it was the drugs blocking her memory or if she was just in strong denial about the event. He'd allowed Danny to believe it was the drugs because that seemed kinder than voicing his belief that she'd lied to him even if she did have a good reason. Either way, he was going to have to strip away that protective barrier and force her into reality.

He hadn't hesitated to volunteer to take the difficult job away from Danny but he wasn't looking forward to it. He didn't know how his best friend was holding it together as well as he was, so much better than Flack himself probably could if the roles were reversed. Hell, he wasn't even married to Lindsay and he wanted to throw everything in the room that wasn't nailed down across the room. He'd seen the bandage on Danny's hand even though he hadn't asked about it. He was almost sure that even Danny's control had a breaking point and didn't want to see his friend hurt any worse.

Lindsay would need all their love and support as she dealt with this but they couldn't forget that Danny and Lucy would need it just as much. Neither adult was good at asking for help when they needed it. Both had the tendency to turn inward when something bad happened and hide behind some façade that gave the illusion that all was okay even when it wasn't while they dealt with the issue stoically and alone. Sometimes he wondered how two very similar people had managed to make it as a couple for this long. But he'd begun to recognize that slowly each had learned to allow the other into that protective barrier even when no one else could penetrate it. This, however, would be bigger than either would be able to handle alone or as a couple. Even if they wouldn't or couldn't ask for help, the rest of the team would have to step up and provide it for them.

"Detective Flack? I expected to see Detective Messer in here."

Flack looked up to see Michelle Greer standing in the doorway. He relaxed slightly, glad that she was the forensic nurse on call today. He'd worked with her on cases before and knew she was good. Even more importantly, Lindsay also knew her from previous cases. Perhaps that would make the experience even slightly more tolerable for her. "He's in the waiting room. I'm pitch hitting this one for him. He knows she has to have the SOEC but is afraid he'll cave if she gets upset."

She nodded and looked at her report. Some days she went without having to work any rape cases at all and then on other days, like today, it seemed like it was back to back. She'd finished the SOEC on Carla Antsworth earlier. Though her injuries had been consistent with a violent rape, her attacker hadn't left any trace behind. Carla had confirmed that he'd used a condom when he attacked her. Her fiancé was with her and seemed supportive if just a little naïve about how easy the recovery was going to be. "Dr. Maddox says that Lindsay Messer is against the sexual assault exam. Do you think she'll change her mind?"

Flack shrugged. "I hope so. She was drugged and may not remember the attack, however we have Danny's consent."

"I can't do the exam without her consent. I won't do it."

Flack frowned. "But she can't legally give her consent while under the impairment of drugs. In absence of that, we have the medical consent of her husband. What's the problem?"

"The problem is I'm not about to put her through the trauma of another perceived rape." Michelle softened her voice. "I'm not just a forensic nurse, Detective Flack; I'm also a rape counselor. When Lindsay was attack, all her control was taken away and she had no say as to what happened to her body. If I were to perform the exam against her wishes it's not going to matter to her if it was legal or not, she's going to feel like its just another form of rape. Yes, she needs it so we can assess any possible injuries and you need it for any evidence he may or may not have left but not at the expense of hurting her worse. The fact that she was drugged makes this an even slipperier slope. I have here a preliminary tox screen and it shows a pretty significant level of both LSD and PCP in her system. Those drugs historically exacerbate the emotions of the user. That's why some people have pretty euphoric trips and some nightmarishly bad ones. Do you really want to make this worse for her?"

Flack sighed. He'd been so focused on the need for the exam, he hadn't considered the emotional fallout. "No, I don't. So how do we do this?"

Michelle smiled. Lindsay obviously had friends that wanted the best for her. That would be vital in her recovery. "We make it okay for her. We go slow, start with what she'll be comfortable with, and gradually progress to the harder parts of the exam as she's ready for us to do so. We may not do everything at one time. If we have to put off the most intrusive part until she's comfortable with it, then we do that. It's not going to be easy and she might think she even hates us a little before its over; do you think you can handle that or do I need to call for a different pitch hitter?"

"I can handle it. Thanks Michelle, I'm glad you are here."

"We'll help her through this. She's a cop herself so she knows the procedure; that'll help make it just a little less scary for her. She glanced at her watch. "I figured she'd be back by now. Let me call CT and see what's going on."

Flack followed her to the hallway. There was a flurry of activity taking place that didn't seem congruent with the normal bustle of a busy emergency department. Michelle stopped a nurse and asked what was going on. The RN shook her head. "We don't know all the details but there's been an attack in CT. At least one shot was fired."

"Lindsay!" Flack gripped Michelle's arm. "How do I get there?"

Instead of answering, Michelle led the way. Several hospital security guards were standing outside the lab looking in through a small window. A hospital employee wearing blue scrubs was slumped against the wall looking like he was trying not to be obvious that he was protectively covering his privates like he was in pain. Flack knelt beside him.

"NYPD, what's going on?"

The tech looked up, his eyes reflecting shock and confusion. "She just went crazy all of a sudden. She was fine during the scan and I came back into the room to move her back onto the stretcher and return her to the ER. They had warned me she was a potential assault victim so I made sure I told her what I was going to do but as soon as I touched her she started to whimper like I'd hurt her. I pulled away and apologized but she attacked me. As injured as she was, she packed a pretty mean wallop. As I was recovering from her punch, she got off the table and pulled off the oxygen mask and pulled out her IV line. I didn't know what to do so I pulled the alarm and got out."

One of the guards picked up the story. "When I arrived I saw a female patient lying on the floor. She looked like she was having some sort of seizure so I knelt beside her to check on her. The next thing I knew she had my pistol. She fired a shot but fortunately it went into the wall. She's scrambled back to the wall and every time we try to talk to her or approach her, she threatens to shoot again."

"Hallucination from the drugs probably." Michelle offered. "Detective Flack, she knows you. Maybe you can break through the psychosis and get her to surrender the gun. I'll send for her husband."

Nodding Flack eased open the door just enough that she could see him and hear him. "Linds, it's Don, can I come in? You're safe now, Sweetheart."

"Flack?" Her hoarse voice was full of confusion and pain. He eased the door open just a bit more since she hadn't reacted negatively. When the gun in her hand wavered and then lowered, he stepped fully into the room and motioned for the others to stay back. Crossing the room purposively, he knelt beside her and reached for the gun only to have her tighten her grip. Her whole body was trembling. "He was here. John was here."

Keeping his voice low and even, Flack responded. "He not here, Lindsay. John Atwood is in jail. He can't hurt you any more. You are safe and you need to give me that gun so that the hospital personnel can take care of you."

Lindsay shook her head. "He must have escaped somehow. He's not here now, I got his gun away and shot at him and scared him off. But he's going to come back for me. He promised he would. I can't let him hurt me."

It scared Flack how firmly entrenched she was in the hallucination. Had it been like this for her since she was drugged? "Lindsay, I promise you that Atwood can't get to you anymore. He's not going to escape. Lindsay, you thought you saw him because they drugged you with some pretty powerful hallucinogenic drugs. They make you see things that really aren't there. Please trust me when I say you are safe"

"Thank you for the lesson on what hallucinogenic drugs do. I was wondering why I kept seeing my worst nightmares playing out." Her tone was laced with sarcastic anger but it was her words that tore into him. Then she shook her head, looking contrite. "This wasn't the same as the other hallucinations, Flack. He was as real as you are. I have his gun."

How scary it must be to not be able to trust your own eyes. Flack took a deep breath hoping that he could get through to her. "Lindsay, it wasn't Atwood's gun you grabbed. A hospital security guard was checking on you and you grabbed his gun. See them standing in the doorway?"

Lindsay followed his command and then began to sob. With a sigh of relief, Flack took the gun out of her hand and slid it on the floor away from them. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, allowing her to cry those hard, heart wrenching tearless cries. His own tears ran down his cheeks falling into her hair. After what seemed like the longest time, her sobs lessened and she clutched at his shirt desperately. "I can't do this any more, Don. I'm losing my mind. I can't even tell what's real anymore. How do I trust any image my mind gives me? Are you really here? Did I just imagine Jo telling me that Lucy was safe? Was Danny really there telling me he loved me and that it was all going to be okay? Maybe everything I thought was real is just another trick and I'm still back there in that room waiting to either die or be horribly raped again."

Flack registered her use of the word _again_, realizing that she did indeed remember being attacked. That could be dealt with later, however. Her current emotional upset was much more important. "Lindsay, I don't have any of the answers for you. I don't know how to convince you what's real and what's not. But you aren't going crazy, Sweetheart. It's just the drugs that's are making it hard for you to distinguish between reality and the hallucinations but it will get better as they work their way out of your system. Until then, we'll give you all the reassurances you need to know what's real. Yes, you are safe. Lucy is fine; she wasn't hurt at all. And Danny's been at your side as much as they've let him be."

"Is he really standing there right now?" Lindsay sniffed.

Flack glanced up to see Danny standing not five feet away from them, his expression an equal mixture of pain and anger.


	17. Chapter 16

Author's Notes: Wow, over 100 reviews. I'm floored by the support of this story. This chapter was difficult to write. I think it turned out the way I needed it to but I erased and started over too many times to count. I hope it comes across well. But I had to get the ball rolling on treating Lindsay's physical injuries. Details of her attack are discussed at the end of this chapter, if you aren't comfortable reading about the description you may want to skip it. I hope you like it. Reviews and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, every episode would be full of DL moments.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 16<p>

Danny stood there, staring at Lindsay for several minutes after she asked if it was really him standing there. A myriad of emotions were coursing through him threatening to overwhelm him. It had pained him to hear that she thought she was losing her mind. How horrible it must be to not be able to trust your own senses. How do you counteract that? No matter how many times they reassure her that this is reality, how can they really convince her that the reassurances aren't just another part of the hallucination? He was angry that Atwood had hurt her both physically and mentally and that he was poised once more to put her in additional danger. He was relieved to know that she'd suffered a hallucination, even as bad as it was, and hadn't been taken by Atwood. To a lesser extent, he was stunned to hear that she remembered being raped. Had she lied to him earlier or had the memory been forced back to the forefront of her mind due to the hallucination? Logically he knew that if she had lied it was probably more of trying to deny even to herself that such a horrible event had taken place not an out and out attempt to deceive him.

He heard Flack confirm for her that he was really standing there. Her eyes locked onto his and her lower lip trembled. "You're angry." Her tone wasn't accusing but resigned.

"Yeah, I'm angry." She closed her eyes but not before he saw the look of pain and misery that filled them. He sighed. Flack looked like he wanted to hit him for hurting her. However if she couldn't trust her mind, she had to be sure she could trust those around her to be truthful with her. If they started to lie to her than all of her trust would be gone.

He closed the distance and knelt beside her. He didn't try to take her from Flack's arms. He was almost too afraid to touch her. Now that she was off the oxygen her breathing had become progressively more labored and he thought he heard a wheezing in her voice when she talked. He reached out and lightly ran his fingers down the side of her face, forcing her to open her eyes and look at him. "I'm mad as hell, but not at you, Baby. Never at you. You've done absolutely nothing for me to be angry about. It just makes me angry that those bastards messed with your mind so much you don't know what to trust anymore. I'm angry that you are hurting like this and I can't do a freakin' thing about it. But don't you ever think I could be angry at you about any of this, cause it can't happen."

Though he had hoped his explanation would ease her fears a little, a sudden wild look of panic flooded her brown orbs and she weakly grasped his arm. "Danny? I can't breathe."

Her panic became his panic when he realized that her lips were turning blue. Then her eyes rolled backward and she went limp in Flack's arms. Danny stared at her in complete horror unable to call for help or say anything. It was as if his own breathing had stopped the moment she passed out. Dr. Maddox was suddenly there, pushing him to the side as Flack laid her flat on the ground. The doctor felt her pulse and then used his stethoscope to check her lungs. He frowned. "I had my suspicions when I ordered the CT but now I'm positive. I'm getting diminished breath sounds on the right side. She's got a collapsed lung. I'm going to have to put in a chest tube. Get that oxygen over here."

Nurses ignored both Danny and Flack as they moved about obeying the doctor's commands. The latter moved out of their way but the former was rooted to his spot, unable to do anything but stare at the woman he loved. In no time, they had the oxygen mask back on Lindsay's face with the oxygen turned up all the way. They transferred her back to the gurney and started to wheel her out. Realizing they were about to take her away from him once again, he rose and started to follow. A nurse stopped him. "I'm sorry, you can't go with her."

"I have to. She's in danger." Danny pleaded. Flack and Mac stood behind him.

The nurse shook her head. "The doctor will take good care of her. If you'll return back to the waiting room, he'll come talk to you when he can."

"But…" He couldn't finish because the nurse left him. He started to follow after them, desperate to make sure Lindsay was okay, both from her injuries and from Atwood. Mac gripped his shoulder stopping him.

"It's okay, Danny. I filled Dr. Maddox in on the danger. Lindsay won't be left alone for even a second. Let them take care of her."

Flack looked confused. "Why do I get the feeling I missed something?"

Mac explained about Atwood's escape and Markson's murder. Flack's mouth dropped in surprise. "Son of a Bitch. He gets out of his cuffs, kills a decorated detective, and walks out of PD and no one bats an eye? How does that happen?"

Mac shook his head. "Nobody really seems to know how it happened. Once Markson arrived, the officer who was watching Atwood was called down the hall to help with an unruly prisoner. When he returned to the observation room, he looked in and saw the room appeared empty. Apparently the table had obscured his view of Markson's body. The officer assumed that Markson had already moved Atwood like he had said he was going to. It was only once the marshals arrived to take the gang into federal custody that they realized that what had happened."

Danny turned to Flack. "Are we sure Lindsay experienced a hallucination? Could he have been here? She seemed so sure."

"I'm sure. Neither the radiographer nor the guards saw anyone around her. She simply mistook them for Atwood. Damn, I feel like I lied to her. I told her she had nothing to worry about with him. Told her there was no way he would get to her again." Flack's jaw rocked with anger as he wanted to punch something once again. How could he face Lindsay once she knew the truth. How would she believe anything he told her again?

"He won't. I'll kill him before I let him get anywhere close to her." Danny warned darkly. Neither of the other men contradicted him. If it came to protecting his wife, both men knew that Danny would use whatever force was needed and they didn't blame him in the least.

Mac led Danny out of the CT lab back to the waiting room. Instead of following, Flack stopped Michelle Greer. "Will they put her out to insert the chest tube?"

She considered his question. "Depends. Sometimes they use a local. However, given her condition and other injuries, I imagine he will fully sedate her. Why?"

"Because I want to ask you to do something you might not like. I want you to perform the SOEC while she's unconscious. She's been through enough, I don't think she can handle any more. Even if we could get her to agree to the exam, I'm afraid of the flashback it could trigger. I'd like to save her from that if at all possible."

Michelle considered his request. "It's not how I usually like to proceed but in this case, I think you are right. I'll let you know what I find."

Flack thanked her and made his way to the waiting room where he saw Mac closing his phone after apparently finishing a call. Danny was pacing back and forth in an apparent attempt to wear a tread in the linoleum looking for all the world like a tiger in a cage.

"Uniforms are now posted on each of the other hostages. They are also stationed at every entrance. Atwood is not getting into this hospital. However, I'm not going to post a uni on Lindsay's door once she's admitted."

Danny stopped mid pace glaring at him sharply. "Why the hell not? You know he's more apt to go after her than the others. Don't tell me you are planning on using Lindsay as bait to capture him. I want the bastard caught as much as the next person but not at the expense of her safety. Damn it, Mac, you are the last person I expected to put her at risk."

Mac counted to five before responding. "Are you through? I'm not assigning a uni because I don't trust her safety to anyone other than our team. I'm reasonably confident that you plan on staying with her the whole time she's here. We'll set up a rotation where one of us is with the two of you at all times. I'm going to take the first watch. Jo will take over in the morning."

Danny slumped his shoulders. He crossed to one of the hard chairs and collapsed into it, not trusting his legs to hold him up any more. He looked at Mac with eyes begging for forgiveness. "I'm sorry. I know you would never put her in danger. None of this is any easier on all of you. I'm just so messed up about all this. I want to be strong for her but its tearing me up to hear her say she doesn't know what's real. Back in that room where she'd been held hostage, I moved out of the way to let the paramedics move her. As soon as she couldn't see me she yelled out to God knows who to quit fucking with her. She actually used that word, Mac. She never uses that word and I didn't know what it meant but now I do. She thought I was another hallucination She begged me not to let go cause she was afraid if I did, she would realize it was just another trick of her mind. But I let her go; I let them take her for that test and I should have insisted on going with her. If I had, maybe she would have had the hallucination."

Mac sat down next to him. He understood the younger man's pain, even understood his guilt even if it wasn't rational. Recognized that he needed to break down now in the safe presence of his friends in order to put the pieces together again in time to be strong for Lindsay. If it took biting off a few heads for Danny to do that, Mac wouldn't hold it against him.

For several minutes they sat there in silence, the only sound was Danny's ragged breathing as he struggled to get his emotions in check. At last he spoke. "When Atwood is caught, I want just ten minutes alone with him in a room. I don't care what it costs me in terms of my job or my freedom. I just want to make him feel as much pain as he caused Lindsay. Please, Mac, just ten minutes, that's all I'm askin' for."

Mac didn't reply. He wasn't sure if Danny seriously thought he'd allow it or if he was just blowing off more steam. As much as he would love to allow Danny to unleash all of his fury on the man responsible for Lindsay's pain and suffering - as much as he would like to help him do it, he knew that it wasn't the best action for any of them. He was pretty sure that Danny would know that as well when he calmed down.

"Detective Flack?" Flack looked up surprised to see Dennis Monisett come into the ER waiting room. "I heard on the scanner that the hostages were being brought to this hospital and I was sure you would be here as well."

"Mac, Danny, this is Dennis Monisett with Channel 14."

Suddenly Danny bolted from his seat and had Monisett against the wall. "Are you the ass wipe that leaked the news about my wife being a cop? Do you people even think before you open your mouth? They could have killed her because of that story. Why are you here? Nearly getting her killed wasn't enough, now you want to sensationalize her rescue? You make me as sick as the men who hurt her."

Grabbing Danny's arms, Mac pulled him off the channel owner. Monisett didn't seem fazed by the other man's violent outburst. He merely straightened his suit jacket. "The ass wipe is my nephew but I accept the blame as well. I'm not here to sensationalize anything. I've been in contact with the other station owners and we are all on the same page on this. We've gotten reports that the hostages are safe but that one of the suspects escaped. Detective Flack, I want to know from you how you want us to proceed with this information. In the interest of the hostages safety and privacy, no one is going to report on their current location. But how do you want us to handle the missing suspect? We can keep quiet or we can flood the public with his picture and information in hopes someone sees him and gives a location."

Flack looked at Mac for an answer. Mac spoke up. "Get his picture on the air; warn people that he is dangerous and should not be approached but to call 911 immediately if they see him. There's no way we have enough manpower to search the whole city. If we have the public's eyes helping us, he'll be limited in where he can go. Even if he goes completely underground to avoid being seen, it'll prevent him from coming after the hostages."

Monisett agreed. Before he left he turned to Danny once more. "I'm truly sorry for what you and your wife are going through. I know it doesn't make up for what my nephew did but I am sorry."

Danny hung his head. "Sorry I attacked you."

Monisett shook his head. "Your wife was kidnapped, tortured, and I don't want to even imagine what else. I feel lucky that the worst I got was being pushed up against the wall. Let me know if there's anything more that I or the station can do."

After he left, Danny threw himself back into the chair. He saw the looks that Mac and Flack were giving each other and him and frowned. "Go ahead. Let me have it. You think I'm out of control. I know that."

Flack shook his head. "I think you are running on pure adrenaline right now. I think we all are. Who knows how long its going to be before the doctor comes out with information. I'm going to run down to the cafeteria and bring us all up some food and coffee."

The last thing Danny wanted was anything to eat or drink but he knew better than to argue. Flack returned about fifteen minutes later with three cups of coffee and a bag of sandwiches. Danny woodenly chewed, not even tasting it. His eyes stayed on the hallway where Dr. Maddox would come. He managed about four bites of the sandwich before he re-wrapped the rest, knowing one more bite would send it coming back up.

It seemed like time was slowing down. Though the clock showed that less than two hours had passed since Dr. Maddox had wheeled Lindsay away from him, it felt like days had passed. Every time someone walked past, he would look up, expecting to see the doctor. Flack and Mac gave up trying to talk to him after several failed attempts. When he saw Michelle Greer coming down the hall, he stood on shaky legs.

"Detective Messer, I finished the exam. Let's step into a conference room so we won't be overheard."

"Can my friends come?" Part of Danny didn't want anyone else to hear about Lindsay's intimate details but he knew he needed their support. Besides, anything that was in the official report, they would eventually see anyway. Michelle looked unsure but agreed. The three men followed the nurse down the hall to a room. She closed the door behind them and motioned for them to sit.

"Lindsay is being transferred to a room now. Once we're finished talking, I'll take you to her. Fortunately, Lindsay's injuries from the assault were minor. I found bruising and slight vaginal and rectal tearing as well as some internal scratches but nothing that required treatment. Although because of the tears, I have requested that Dr. Maddox start her on a round of antibiotics just to be cautious."

"Rectally? Are you sure?" Flack asked. He'd seen the reports of all the other victims and none of them had shown signs of being sodomized. His stomach flipped and he wanted to throw up.

Michelle nodded "I don't think penal penetration took place either vaginally or rectally. The bruising wasn't consistent with it. If I had to guess, I would say her attacker used multiple fingers to attack her. I did find round bruising at the entrance of her rectum that suggests that maybe he threatened to rape her with a hard foreign object but full penetration didn't take place."

Danny buried his head in his hands, wanting to block out her words, wanting to deny that any of what she was saying could have ever happened to his wife. Though he'd known she'd been raped, he wasn't prepared for the reality of it.

"The means doesn't change the emotional impact of what happened to her. Emotionally it's still going to take her time to heal just the same as if she'd been raped in the traditional sense of the word. In some ways, it could even be harder because there is a false belief that it's not rape if the man didn't use his penis therefore the victim feels like there's something wrong with her if she has negative reactions. Fortunately, Lindsay has a good support system of knowledgeable friends and family who will help her through this."

"I don't suppose you found any trace." Mac muttered lowly, trying to keep the anger and pain out of his voice. He could deal with his own emotions later; for now he had to focus on Danny and Lindsay.

"Actually I did. I found traces of semen on the back of her leg. Unlike with his other victim, he didn't appear to use a condom this time. The emotional recovery from this will take much longer than the physical recovery. No matter how much love and support Lindsay has, I really recommend professional support. I'm a licensed counselor and I'd be happy to work with Lindsay or I could recommend someone."

Danny shook his head. "She'll never go for it. She hates counseling. The five months that she had to meet with a counselor after the shooting were hell for her. You can recommend it and I'll do my best to encourage her but don't be surprised if she shuts you down completely."

Michelle nodded. She had worked with Lindsay before and knew from comments Lindsay had made that counseling might be tricky. "There is another problem I need you to be aware of. Physical findings aside, we don't know how many mental rapes she endured."

Danny looked up, not sure if he could take much more. "What do you mean?"

"We saw how real that hallucination was for her in the CT lab. We don't know how many hallucinations she might have had or will continue to have under the influence of the drugs she was given. Even though they would leave no physical trace in her mind any rapes she believes to have endured during a hallucination will be just as real to her as the actual attacks. Those might have been even worse."

Flack shook his head. Could this get any worse? As if to answer his question, Michelle continued. "Given the traumatic nature of this experience, I really think we have to consider the possibility of placing Lindsay under a suicide watch."


	18. Chapter 17

Author's Notes: This chapter seemed to flow so easily. I decided to go ahead and post it tonight as well so if you missed the previous chapter posted this afternoon, don't forget to go back to it before reading this one. This one is on the sort side but it's lighter than previous chapters. A brief respite that they all need. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 17<p>

Danny sat in a chair next to Lindsay's bed, elbows resting on the bed and his head resting on his hands. His eyes never left Lindsay's face. Her nose was bandaged even though the doctor had not been able to reset it yet. Since more than three hours had passed since it had been broken, he would have to wait a day or so for the swelling to go down before going into to reduce the fracture. The chest tube had been put in and would stay until the air that caused the collapsed lung had escaped. With one lung collapsed and both bruised, the doctor had felt that it was important to support her breathing by keeping her on a high concentration of oxygen. Because of her broken nose she had to stay with the face mask but the doctor had said it was okay for her to take it off for short periods in order to eat or drink. Already however, she was looking much better than before.

He appreciated that Michelle knew her job but she didn't know Lindsay, not that well anyway. There was no way that Lindsay would even think about taking her own life. The recovery process would be difficult, and the drugs in her system wouldn't help things, but Lindsay was strong enough to get through it without getting that desperate. He would make sure of it without some sort of formal watch. She would feel like she was in a fishbowl anyway being under a protection detail from Atwood, even it that protection detail consisted of their closest friends.

Because he was staring at her, he was aware the moment that her eyes slowly started to open. Her eyes were confused and her hand reached up to touch the oxygen mask. He smiled at her reassuringly. "Hey Sweetheart. It's okay. You are safe. I'm really here and the doctors are taking really good care of you."

He hoped that by offering her the reassurances as she first woke up, it would prevent her for feeling lost in another hallucination. He must have been slightly successful because the confusion eased in her eyes. He was glad that Mac had stepped outside to make a phone call so he could have a few minutes alone with her.

She lifted the mask slightly. "Hurts."

"I know it hurts, Baby. Do you want something for the pain?" He purposefully kept his tone light. She shook her head. He wasn't surprised, outside of giving birth to Lucy, she usually avoided taking anything stronger than Tylenol for pain. He nodded, he wouldn't press her on the issue unless it became obvious the pain was more than she could handle. "How about something to eat or drink? Can't get you a buffalo burger and a beer but I can get you a popsicle."

"I'm not Lucy." There was a hint of amusement in her voice that he was happy to hear.

This time his grin made it to his eyes. "You can't fool me. I know who she gets her love of them from. So how about it? I bet I can even manage to score you a grape one. I know they are your favorite. Or if you want something a little stronger, they have soup. Cream of mushroom?"

Her eyes lit up. "I can have food?"

Danny laughed, pleased to see the woman he loved reappearing behind that bruised face instead of that frightened shell that had been there earlier. Perhaps the drugs were finally leaving her system. "Yeah, Linds, you can have food. Dr. Maddox said it was important to get some nutrients back into you. Put that mask back in place when you aren't talking. You need it to help those lungs heal." He pushed the nurses button and asked for the soup. While they were waiting, Lindsay lifted the mask once again.

"Danny, am I okay?" There was just a twinge of uncertainty that cut through him.

"It's going to take some time before you are tackling suspects but yeah, you are going to be fine." He watched her carefully and could see the thoughts running rampant behind her eyes. Reaching over and giving her hand a squeeze, he raised an eyebrow. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

"Everything is a little fuzzy. My mind feels clearer but it's all mixed up."

Danny sighed. "That's because the drugs you were given are clearing out of your system but they were pretty strong. Some things may stay fuzzy but I'll try to explain things where I can."

"Was Lucy really okay? I didn't want to leave her but …"

Danny cut her off sensing she was about to get upset. "Shh, it's okay. Yeah, she's fine. She's going to be so glad to see you."

The door opened and Mac stepped in holding a cup of steaming liquid. "I heard someone requested some soup." He crossed the room and handed the cup to Danny and then kissed the top of Lindsay's head. Danny saw her stiffen slightly but she didn't pull away. Mac pulled another chair up closer to the bed as Danny pushed a button allowing the bed to raise up to a sitting position. He glanced at the machine that was recording her oxygen rate. The nurse had told him earlier that Lindsay would be fine off the oxygen as long as her rate stayed about 90. As long as the mask was in place, it was staying at 97 or 98. With the talking she'd been doing it had dropped down to 95.

"Take a couple of good breaths of that oxygen and I'll give you some soup." She obeyed and then removed the mask. He lifted the spoon to her mouth and she slowly sipped it down. A look of almost pure ecstasy crossed her face. "That good, huh?"

She nodded and took another spoonful. Half the cup was empty when he glanced up to see the oxygen rate back down to 91. Danny sat the cup aside. "That's enough for now. Mask back on."

Lindsay rolled her eyes but obeyed. She looked over at Mac. "Are they really in jail?"

Mac felt caught. He didn't want to lie but didn't want to upset her either. "We arrested them when they tried to rob another bank."

When he didn't elaborate any further, Danny shot him a slight glare then looked at his wife. "Babe, I gotta tell you something that's not going to be easy to hear but you can't get too upset cause that nurse'll come in here wanting to sedate you. Can you handle that?" At Lindsay's nod, he continued. "Two of them aren't in custody any more. The guy who picked you as a hostage killed himself while being interrogated. The leader escaped. We're going to recapture him but if you think you see him, you gotta let us know. Okay Babe? It may be a hallucination but then again it could be the real thing."

She closed her eyes to keep from revealing the fear his words brought into her. Her heart rate quickened but didn't get too alarmingly high. Her whole body was trembling as she tried to suppress the unimaginable fear that his news raised in her. Then she opened her eyes again. "Am I safe here?"

Mac nodded. He didn't think he could have told her that Atwood escaped but guessed that Danny knew what he was doing. "You are as safe as we can make you. Danny is here with you and one of us will either be in the room or just outside the door. We are going to do everything we can to make sure you are safe. We also have guards on the other hostages. If Atwood comes anywhere near this hospital, he's going to be captured."

Lindsay nodded. Fear was still in her eyes but it was contained. Talking, though painful to her ribs, chest and throat, was helping to clear the cobwebs in her mind. "Are the others okay? Sam was stabbed…"

"Everyone survived." Mac related. He had a feeling Danny had been so preoccupied with worrying about Lindsay that he hadn't paid attention to the reports about the other hostages. "They decided to keep Carla Antsworth and Neil Waterson overnight for observation but they'll be released sometime tomorrow. Sam Byers survived the surgery to repair the damage caused by the stab wound and the doctors seem to think he'll recover. Amanda Hayes suffered a slight heart attack from the ipecac she was given but she was admitted straight to a private room, not even a specialty unit. Thanks to you, they'll all recover."

Lindsay shook her head confused by his last statement. Mac smiled. "The epithelials you sent us helped us to get an ID on the men responsible and helped us figure out which back they were going to rob next. We set things up so they wouldn't wait a full week and nabbed them as they tried to rob another bank. Then we were able to use the paint chip to help narrow down your location. In fact, I'm so impressed with the work you did on this case, I may not even mark you down for sick days while you weren't at work."

Lindsay's stomach growled and Danny laughed. "Want some more of your soup?"

She nodded and he picked up the spoon for another mouthful. When the cup was empty, he set the cup aside and made sure she had the mask back in place. Lindsay's eyes were slowly closing as she drifted back to sleep. It was almost easy to look at her right now and believe that everything was going to be okay and that the worst was behind them. He wasn't deluding himself though, he knew that no matter what, she would have her moments of not being okay with what happened. However, he took this reprieve as a chance to recharge his own batteries.

There was a slight knock on the door and as it eased opened, a small blonde headed bundle of energy came bounding into the room. "Mommy, Daddy found you."

Lindsay's eyes snapped open at the sound of her daughter's voice. She cut a look at Danny as if seeking confirmation that it was real. Danny nodded as he scooped Lucy up into his arms. He knew the squirming child wanted to be in her mother's arms and knew it was exactly where Lindsay wanted her but he couldn't let the toddler go without a warning. "Easy Luce, Mommy has some owwies so you have to be gentle. No jumping up and down on her. Okay?" Lucy nodded and Danny set her on the bed next to Lindsay.

True to her word, Lucy was very careful as she put her arms around Lindsay's neck. For her part, Lindsay drew her arms around her daughter hugging her tightly. She had feared that she'd never be able to do this again so she relished every minute of it. The reunion was so sweet that Danny chocked back a tear. He looked at his mother who had followed Lucy into the room.

"Ma, I never called you. I got so preoccupied that I completely forgot. How did…?"

She smiled. "Your friend Adam returned my car to me and filled me in. Apparently you left the keys in the ignition with the car running when you arrived at the scene. Fortunately for you, he discovered it before it was stolen. I hope its okay that I brought her tonight. When she heard Adam say Lindsay was safe she insisted on coming.

Danny looked back at his two favorite girls. Part of him was concerned that Lucy would be terrified by Lindsay's appearance but the look of pure bliss on Lindsay's face at having her daughter in her arms was worth the risk.

Lucy pulled back. "My poor mommy. I kiss it make it better?" Lindsay nodded as a couple of tears ran down her cheeks. The two year old placed a feather light kiss on Lindsay's bandaged nose. "I knew Daddy'd finded you. I was so sad while you was gone but Daddy gived me good hugs. When he was sad, I gived him the hugs. Were you sad, Mommy?"

"Very sad Baby." Lindsay admitted softly. How she had missed holding little conversations with her daughter, missed simply holding her period.

"Who gived you hugs if Daddy and I wasn't there?" Lucy gave her an inquisitive look that reminded Danny so much of Lindsay.

"No one." Again the admittance was low. Lucy's lower lip poked out and the toddler hugged her again.

"Poor Mommy. I gives you lots of hugs now. Daddy, you give Mommy hugs too." At her insistence, Danny leaned forward but raised a questioning eyebrow at Lindsay first. He didn't want to hurt or scare her. At her slight nod, he embraced both his girls as tightly as he could without jarring Lindsay's ribs too greatly.

For just that minute, everything seemed right with the world. Worries of Atwood and concerns of any possibility of a suicide watch faded into the distant background. In its place was just the knowledge that the little family was once more together. Problems were far from over but for now, they didn't matter.


	19. Chapter 18

Author's Notes: This was another chapter that almost wrote itself. It's still on the angsty side but then, given what Lindsay has been through, it wouldn't be realistic for everything to be happy happy but hopefully some rays of hope will show through. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are appreciated and loved.

Disclaimer: Do not own.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 18<p>

Mac Taylor was no stranger to going two or three days without sleeping. Stella used to tease him sometimes that it was useless for him to pay rent on an apartment he barely ever saw. Since Claire had died there just never seemed to be much at home to draw him there, and he had allowed work to become his life. He thought nothing about working day and night on a case if it meant getting it solved even quicker.

Sleep had not even been a slight consideration since Lindsay had been taken hostage. Therefore, after Mrs. Messer had take Lucy home earlier, and Lindsay had drifted off to sleep once more, Mac had insisted that Danny sprawl out on the couch and get some much needed sleep. He had promised to stay awake and keep watch.

He was fascinated by the almost Jekyll and Hyde difference in Danny's personality as the day progressed. The emotional hothead prone to almost violent outburst he'd witnessed in the waiting room completely disappeared when either Lucy or Lindsay was present. Then he became the calm, centered person who was the pillar of strength Lindsay needed.

He had known almost from Lindsay's first day at the lab that there could be something between the two. What he wasn't sure at first. From the very beginning he had decided they were either going to be the bitterest of enemies or the closest of friends. Secretly he had pulled for the later. Danny needed a strong, capable woman who could love his faults but take him down a peg or two when he needed it. In return, he realized that with her traumatic experience as a teenager, Lindsay needed Danny's easy, good-natured personality and fierce loyalty. Though he'd kept quiet on the subject, he'd been overjoyed when it became obvious their partnership had extended beyond the lab. Other supervisors might have questioned the wisdom of allowing two employees to be in a romantic relationship but he had known even with its ups and downs that their love went beyond conventional wisdom.

Had Michelle Green had told him before her announcement about her concern for a suicide watch, he would have told her not to bother. Yes, Lindsay had been through a very traumatic experience, and yes, the drugs and torture she'd been subjected to could cause even the strongest person to crash. But Lindsay wouldn't need professionals watching over her waiting for her to break. Danny, and to a lesser extent the rest of the team, would do a much better job of that then any professional could. At the first sign of distress, Danny would wrap Lindsay in so much love that she would have no choice but to be okay.

She started to twist and squirm in bed and Mac watched her carefully. It wasn't the first time that night that he'd witnessed her reacting to an apparent nightmare but so far none had caused her to fully awaken. The other times, a simple squeeze of her hand had been the only reassurance she had needed for her sleep to become less troubled. This time the dream seemed to have a firmer hold on her. Her whole body seemed to be fighting off some untold attack. When she began to whimper he decided it was time to step in. He rose from his seat and sat beside her on the bed. He took one of her hands in one of his own and touched the side of her face with the other.

He spoke softly, not wanting to wake Danny if he could help it. "Lindsay, Sweetheart, you are safe. Wake up; it's only a dream." He had to repeat his reassurance twice before her lids opened and her eyes darted about wildly. He continued to repeat his assurances until her eyes settled on him and he was sure she was truly awake.

"Danny?" The oxygen mask muffled her words but he could understand what she was saying.

Mac indicated the sleeping man with a nod of his head. "He's right over there. Do you want me to wake him up?"

She shook her head trying to bring her breathing back under control so it wouldn't hurt her chest so much. "Let him sleep. He looked exhausted earlier."

Mac nodded. He was sure Danny wouldn't be happy if he discovered that Lindsay had woken up and Mac had let him sleep. However the younger man would need to be rested to deal with anything the new day brought with it. "You want some more juice?"

They had discovered earlier when they had offered her water that the clear liquid brought about bad associations. Since the other hostages had stated that the drugs had been slipped into bottle water, he couldn't blame her. The nurse had filled her water pitcher with grape juice instead. Lindsay had tolerated that much better to their relief. The nurse had suggested that they encourage her to drink as much as she could to help with the re-hydration of her body.

Lindsay nodded and moved the oxygen mask so she could drink from the straw Mac held for her. After a few sips she pulled back but didn't replace the mask. Mac took it as a sign she wanted to talk unhindered.

"Mac, do you remember what you told me a few months ago when you followed me to the roof? When I was struggling with what happened with Shane Casey?"

Mac nodded, remembering the day well. He'd been watching her emotions slowly spiral out of control with increasing worry. He doubted any one else except Danny had even noticed because the difference was so slight. He wasn't sure if his words had helped but at least the downward spiral had leveled off before a gradual return to normal. "I told you would survive what happened because you were a warrior. That a warrior's spirit couldn't be broken. I still believe that."

"I don't want to be a warrior anymore. It took so much for me to get past what happened to my friends and I didn't think anything could be worse than that. But then Danny got shot. I was so scared I was going to lose him forever that night. Then as he started to heal, came the knowledge that he might never walk again. Between trying to encourage him, working, and taking care of a newborn it was all I could do some days to just get out of bed. Still, Danny recovered and life seemed so good again until the nightmare that was Shane Casey. That monster came after my husband and then threatened to kill him and Lucy. I had no choice but to shoot him with the knowledge that one slip could mean the difference between killing him and shooting Lucy. We've barely gotten past that and now this. I'm not sure I have the strength to get through this but I know I can't handle anything worse. If being a warrior means life gets to just throw progressively harder situations at you just to test whether your spirit can be broken, then I quit. I give up and life wins."

Mac Taylor had the heart of a Marine. He was tough and always in control. Very few things drove him to break down emotionally. In his adult life, only two events had led him to tears – his father's death and losing Claire. Now, hearing Lindsay catalogue the many atrocities she'd faced in her young life and her plaintive admission that she could take no more and was ready to give up drove him to tears for the third time. She sounded so defeated, so broken. How could any one person endure so much? It wasn't fair and he was prepared to shoot the first person who argued that life wasn't fair.

He wanted to gather her in his arms and hold her to lend her his strength until she could find her own again. But he refrained because he didn't want to cause her anymore pain. When she rose up off the bed reaching for him, then he didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms holding her as they both cried. He didn't speak, flowery platitudes weren't what she needed right then. She simply needed the emotional release in a safe environment.

He wasn't sure how long he held her when at last she pulled back with a groan of pain from her injuries. He reached for the box of tissues on the table beside the bed, hating her tears but relieved to know the IV and juice had re-hydrated her enough to produce them. She wiped her eyes and settled back on the bed. With a look of surprise she reached up and brushed his own tears from under his eyes. The idea of him crying was a little scary.

She looked slightly better for the crying jag but he could see the physical pain she was trying to hide. He frowned. "You can't let the pain get out of control. Let me get the nurse to give you something to help."

She shook her head. "My head finally feels clear of the junk they gave me. I don't want more drugs clouding it up again. Besides the pain is a good reality check. They may have broken me but it didn't end as badly as it should have or would have if you hadn't found me."

Mac didn't argue, knowing she was too stubborn to listen to reason but trusting that she'd give in if the pain became unbearable. "I know it's hard to believe it right now but you aren't broken. Dented to hell and back but not broken. It may take awhile but you will recover."

Lindsay cut her eyes over to Danny's sleeping form. He hadn't moved a muscle which showed just how tired he really must be. "Mac." Her tone was small and childlike. "The idea of it scares the hell out of me but I need to have them do the SOEC."

Her admission hurt him at the same time that it brought him relief. Now that she was able to admit out loud that she'd been attacked, recovery could start taking place. Following Danny's lead that honesty was the best policy, Mac nodded. "They already performed the exam while you were sedated earlier. We weren't out to hurt you; we just felt it would be easier on you emotionally and physically."

The knowledge that the test was over and she hadn't had to be aware of what they were doing to her made her feel better but still a mixture of shame, fear, and doubt washed over her. Her eyes dropped. "So you all know what happened?"

"We know what the evidence could tell us. The details can wait until you are emotionally ready to discuss it." He could see the shame creeping into her eyes and wanted to put a stop to it from the start. She didn't need to beat herself up any worse than she'd already been.. "Lindsay, none of what happened was your fault. No one is going to think of or treat you any differently. You've done nothing to be ashamed of."

"I lied to Danny. I told him I wasn't….that I wasn't….." She trailed off unable to say the word.

"He doesn't blame you for that. He knows you had a good reason for it. He loves you so much and he just wants you to be okay." Mac tipped her head upward so that she had no choice but to look him in the eye. He could see that she wasn't completely convinced but he didn't press her. This was going to be about winning the war, not every battle.

For a moment she allowed his words to soak in without comment. She hiccupped from the earlier crying jab, wincing at the pain it caused across her ribs. He released her chin and reached for the juice. She took a long drink without breathing to prevent a second hiccup. She pulled away and nodded that she was through. She gave him a sheepish smile "Thanks for being here."

He returned her hesitant smile with one of his own and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He noticed that her eyes were getting heavy again. "I wouldn't be anywhere else. You think you can go back to sleep now?"

She nodded, her eyes already half closed. She was asleep a second later and didn't even seem to realize when he positioned the oxygen mask back over her mouth. A glance at the monitor showed that even after all that time off the oxygen, her saturation rate hadn't fallen below 96. He took that as a sign that things were starting to look up.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"_The Police are asking for your help in locating this man. John Atwood escaped from a downtown precinct early this morning. He is suspected as being the leader of the gang who robbed four banks in the last several weeks that resulted in the deaths of close to 50 people. Police advise that Atwood is extremely dangerous. If you see him or have any information about his location, do not try to approach him but are asked to call 911 immediately."_

Atwood changed the channel hoping to find something other than his own picture being plastered all over the news. Seemed like every channel had carried the story although nothing had been said about the rescued hostages. He would have to have to lie low to avoid being seen. It wouldn't be much of an inconvenience. He was well stocked in his current location; he had enough food to last for a couple of weeks before he'd even have to go near a store. Even at that, he'd be able to go out at night and trust that no one would see him come and go. He wasn't worried about the police breaking down any of the gang. None of them knew about this location. Junior was the only other person who knew about it and he wasn't in any position to tell tales. Somewhere in the deep recess of his chest where his heart had once resided, he felt the tiniest bit of anguish at the thought of the death of his only son.

He thought back to when Junior had been a very young boy, back before the prison sentence. Junior had thought the world of him; thought he was the best father that any child could ever hope for. The feeling had actually been mutual. He had loved his son as much as it was possible for any father to love a child. Junior wanted to be just like his father when he grew up, even if at the time he was too young to know what that meant. As for himself, he had his own dreams for his son. Big plans that included college, a good career, a wife and family of his own. Their family picture wouldn't have looked any different from any other family's back then.

His stay in Rikers had changed all that though. Fifteen years of abuse or be abused had stolen any humanity he had left. He had been left a cold and violent person. Love and compassion were just words he no longer had definitions for. Hate and retribution were the only emotions he was capable of understanding now.

His son had killed himself. He couldn't blame him; death was kinder than the hell he'd go through in jail. The little wuss wouldn't last five minutes in a place like Rikers. To be honest if it came down to a certainty that he would be going back in, he'd off himself rather than go through the pain of working his way back up the food chain. Which was one reason why he didn't plan on getting caught. Still, he couldn't believe that Junior had the guts to do the deed himself. It angered him that his son hadn't even been able to die without messing things up. Why had the little bastard given up the location of the hostages?

It had something to do with Copper. He knew that. He had noticed something was off from the moment they had returned to the warehouse. Junior had been a regular chip off the old block during the other robberies and with the hostages afterward. Had he'd been capable of the emotion, he might have even started to feel a little proud to call him son. But even before they had discovered they had a cop in their midst, he'd been different around her, almost hesitant in his violence.

Suddenly Atwood realized what should have been so obvious to him from the moment he heard the news that they had grabbed a cop. Junior had known from the moment he had grabbed her that she was a cop. He swore. That bastard had set them all up to be captured. He and the little Copper had worked it together. Junior had probably smuggled out her evidence at her bidding. It was her fault their plans had failed, her fault that Junior was dead.

How he wished they had taken his deal. He would have enjoyed taking his time ruining her pathetic little life. The feel of her small body writhing in pain beneath him. Once he had finished with her, she would have been begging for him to kill her. If he had felt especially kind he would have done it; if not, he would have let her live with the knowledge of what he had done to her.

A picture flashed on the television screen, catching his attention. Atwood smiled at the uniformed picture of the detective he had killed earlier. He'd gotten so used to killing with a gun, that he'd forgotten how satisfying it was to kill with his bare hands. He felt himself get hard at the memory of watching the life go out of the detective's eyes at his hands. The detective hadn't even know what was coming.

Now that he had a cop's blood on his hands, figuratively and literally, every cop in the city would be looking for him. No matter how long it took, they wouldn't stop looking. He would have to leave town and start over somewhere else but not right away. Right now, everyone would be watching for him. He would lie low until the media frenzy died down. It wouldn't take long for them to find some other story to feed on. He'd wait a few days and then he'd make his move.

In the meantime, he could find ways to distract himself. No one would miss a whore or two. They were a dime a dozen on these streets after the sun went down. The satisfaction of watching a person die was like a drug that once experienced became an instant addiction. One he couldn't get enough of. Yeah, he could go out there right now and take his pick, maybe find one that was small with brown hair and brown eyes. He could bring her back here and just when she thought they were about to get down and dirty, he could close his hands around her throat and squeeze the life out of her. Just a practice run or two while he bided his time before doing the same thing to Copper.


	20. Chapter 19

Author's Notes: I hope you like the surprise at the end. As always, reviews are loved and appreciated.

Disclaimer: No matter how much I hope for the opposite, I still don't own them.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 19<p>

"Babe, what are you doing?" Danny Messer stepped out of the small bathroom and stared at his wife in disbelief.

Mac, who had taken back the couch since Danny had woken up, glanced over at the petite woman in the hospital bed. An orderly had brought in Lindsay's breakfast tray while Danny had been in the bathroom. Lindsay had wasted no time finishing off the bowl of orangeJell-o and had started in on the bowl of oatmeal, eating like she hadn't eaten in days. Which, considering she hadn't, didn't surprise Mac. What was Danny worried about?

"You can't stand oatmeal." Danny continued.

Lindsay shoveled another spoonful of the hot cereal into her mouth and swallowed, a look of disgust crossing her features. "They didn't leave me many options and I'm starving. I guess Mom was right after all- you will eat anything if you are hungry enough."

"Un huh." Danny crossed the room and took the bowl away from her ignoring her whimper of protest. "No way am I going to sit here and watch you choke down food you hate simply because you are hungry." He reached into his pocket for his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "Mac, do you mind running down to the cafeteria and getting her some scrambled eggs and dry wheat toast instead?"

"Am I allowed?" Lindsay's eyes lit up much the way they had when he mentioned soup the night before.

"I don't see why not. You tolerated the soup really well and scrambled eggs and toast are what we feed Lucy when she has an upset stomach. I know you'd prefer several links of sausage with it but that would probably be pushing it."

Mac waved off the money. "I'll take care of it. I'll bring enough for the both of you. I can't afford to have either of you wasting away to nothing."

Once alone with his wife, Danny pushed the tray out of the way so he could sit beside her on the bed. He carefully considered her appearance. Her skin where it wasn't bruised seemed to be a healthier pink and her eyes were no longer cloudy or drugged-out looking. He could still see the pain there and couldn't decide how much of it was physical or emotional.

"Be honest with me. On a scale of 1-10, how's the pain this morning?"

"About a four…" Seeing his expression of disbelief she amended. "teen. I don't want to whine. I've cracked ribs before, Danny, but this is ridiculous."

"Three on the right side had complete breaks. That's how your lung collapsed. Four more were cracked and all of them, including your lungs, were bruised. I think you earned the right to whine a little. I'm pretty sure Dr. Maddox gave you something for pain while he was putting in the chest tube but I don't know how you've gone this long without taking anything."

"You know how loopy narcotics make me. I'm scared how they'll mess with me on top of the other drugs. I haven't had a hallucination since I woke up, nightmares yes but no hallucinations; I don't want to take a chance of bringing them back."

Danny looked concerned about the mention of nightmares but didn't chase after that bone. "I get that, but what about something that shouldn't make you loopy? What was the drug they gave me right after my surgery - Toradol? It's not a narcotic. What if we ask about that one when the doctor comes around this morning?"

Reluctantly, Lindsay nodded. Satisfied, Danny decided to pursue the other subject. He raised an eyebrow. "So nightmares, huh? You okay?"

"I know you know the truth about what happened to me. Mac told me about the exam." He acknowledged her statement but didn't interrupt her since that didn't answer his question. She shrugged. "I'm scared, Danny." She looked so lost and vulnerable that instinctively Danny reached out to squeeze her hand.

"Babe, after all you went through it's okay to be scared. I'd be more worried if you weren't. But you have to know we aren't going to let Atwood get near you again."

"I know." Lindsay admitted. "That's really not what scares me right now. My hallucinations were scary and upsetting but some of them were easy to dismiss as unreal. Shane Casey is dead and Daniel Cadence is in jail. I knew they weren't really there in that room. Most of the times I saw you I knew you weren't real either."

Danny's heart skipped a beat. What kind of hallucinations had she had about him? He prayed that some imaginary Danny hadn't hurt her even if she had recognized that it wasn't really him. She continued. "You kept appearing and telling me you were disgusted by what I had allowed them to do to me and for putting Lucy in danger. You said you were going to leave me."

Tears filled his eyes at the thought that even an imaginary Danny could have said such things to her. He started to offer reassurances to the contrary but she stopped him. "Like I said, I knew it wasn't you even if it did hurt to even imagine it. I know you love me, Danny, and I have too much faith in you and in us as a couple to believe you'd ever hold that against me."

Danny was glad to hear she wouldn't believe him capable of being so heartless and cruel. But still, he could see fear in her eyes. "So what scares you, Baby? Tell me, so I can make those fears go away."

"If I asked you to make love to me right now, would you?"

"No." He had a feeling the crushed look she was giving him now mirrored the one he'd given her after she gave him the same answer to his first marriage proposal. He could feel her emotionally withdrawing and felt like a heel. He'd have to explain quickly to make this better. "Let me explain. You have no idea how much I want to take you in my arms and show you how much I love you. I was so scared that I was going to lose you and in that moment I realized that even if we had made love a million times a day since that night on the pool table, it would not have been enough. I couldn't imagine how I could go through the rest of my live without your touch, the way your body fits with mine. From the moment I got you back, I had ached with the need to lay you down and kiss and roam every inch of your body, leave not an inch of you untouched or unloved." Her body shuddered at the raw emotion in his voice, the pure love she heard there. "But I won't do it here for two reasons. One, that door doesn't have a lock and anyone could walk in and catch us. I could possibly push that couch in front of the door but if I did that Mac would assume something was wrong and call in a SWAT team. That's not a story I would want to have to explain. Second, you have injuries that need time to heal and I'm not talking about your ribs. I won't make love to you and risk hurting you worse."

Lindsay looked downcast. "That's my fear. I know you wouldn't pull away from me because you think I'm tainted or something. But I am scared you'll pull away from me to protect me. I know you'd rather cut off your arm than hurt me. If you thought it might scare me or hurt me, you would avoid it like the plague no matter how much we both want it. I don't know how my body will react and I'm scared a bad reaction from me will cause you to second guess touching me, not for yourself but for me. I may need you to ignore my reactions in order for me to get over them."

Danny sighed. He'd known this discussion would eventually happen but he hadn't expected it to come so soon. He'd have to choose his words carefully to avoid unintentionally hurting her. "I won't physically hurt you Linds. I've made that mistake before and it hurts me worse that it does you. However, I promise you that once you are home from the hospital and the doctor says its okay, I will show you how much I love you. We'll take it slow and work past all your fears until they don't exist anymore."

"Will you kiss me?" Her voice was hesitant but with the same yearning he had felt since she'd been rescued. He leaned in toward her and pressed his lips to hers. For a moment she stiffened and he almost pulled away. Some deeper instinct cautioned him not to, so instead he sank further into her lips and gradually she relaxed. His tongue licked her lips asking for entrance. She opened her mouth against his and his tongue swept inside, exploring hungrily.

Recognizing that she needed at least some semblance of physical intimacy, he allowed his hand to brush against her breast through her gown, making sure it wasn't the one he'd noticed the ugly bite mark on. He was ready to pull back if she reacted negatively. However he wasn't sure if the groan he elicited from her was of pain or longing. She didn't pull away from him or flinch so he decided to be a little bolder. He teased her nipple gently through the fabric of her gown and felt her tremble. He smiled around the kiss because he recognized that the tremble was one of pleasure not of pain.

She broke the kiss first out of necessity rather than want. Breathing heavily, she apologized. "Sorry, can't breathe through my nose."

He rested his forehead on hers being careful not to touch her sensitive nose. "I love you so much. I want to make this okay for you. I may not always get it right, the name is Messer after all. But please don't ever doubt that I love you and would do anything for you."

She nodded, a little teary but he decided they were okay tears. He smiled brushing them away tenderly. "You realize Mac's been standing outside the door since I started to kiss you. Do we tell him to come in?"

A hint of a smile crossed her face as her stomach growled. "He has my breakfast, so yeah, let him in."

Danny chuckled. Part of him wondered where her concern for her breakfast would have gone if he had given in to her desire for him to make love to her. Instead he raised his voice. "It's safe to come in, Mac."

Mac waited a couple more seconds before he came into the room. "Everything okay in here?" He didn't want to admit he'd opened the door slightly earlier to hear Lindsay beg Danny to kiss her. He recognized the couple had a lot of things to discuss, things they wouldn't be able to discuss with an audience.

"Depends." Lindsay responded. "Where are my eggs?"

He laughed and handed over the Styrofoam trays. As the married couple tore into the breakfasts, Mac took a seat on the couch. "Jo called while I was in the cafeteria. She's working a homicide in Central Park and can't get away for a little while. I guess the two of you are stuck with me."

"No!" Lindsay admonished, her fork halfway to her mouth. "Go home, Mac. You need some sleep. I know you only stayed to help protect me but you'll do no one any good if you don't take care of yourself. I'll be fine. No one is going to come after me in the middle of the day in a hospital. I trust Danny will take care of me."

With anyone else, Mac would have protested. He might give in eventually but not without vehement protest. But he couldn't argue with Lindsay. He cut his eyes to Danny who nodded his agreement to Lindsay's statement.

"Okay, I give in. But for the record, I wasn't here _only_ to protect you. Jo should be here no later than lunch time."

"Did the crime scene have anything to do with…" Danny trailed off as Mach shook his head anticipating where the question was going.

"Doesn't appear to be. A prostitute was strangled and dumped in Central Park. Nothing to indicate Atwood was responsible.." He didn't say the words but Danny realized the prostitute must not have been raped.

Mac promised to check in later and said his goodbyes. As he was leaving out, a female doctor came in. She saw the eggs that Lindsay was devouring. "I didn't think eggs and toast were on a liquid diet."

Lindsay, looking sheepish, put her fork down guiltily. Danny frowned and started to explain. With a smile, the doctor cut him off. "It's okay, the liquid diet was recommended to help you ease back into eating. If you are able to tolerate more solid foods, that is great. I'll change your diet for lunch to a soft diet. If that goes as well, then the nurse can change it to a regular diet for supper."

She looked at Lindsay's chart and at the machine she was hooked to. "Your vitals are looking much better. We'll do another scan this afternoon to check your lung and we'll start weaning you off the oxygen. The one thing that surprises me is that I see no documentation of pain medication being given. Care to explain?"

Lindsay told the doctor about her fears and Danny asked about the other drug. The doctor checked the chart once again. 'It's not one we can use long term but a few days on it would be fine, especially if you aren't going to take the morphine. I'll write the orders for it. Would you like an injection as soon as the pharmacy sends it up?"

Danny was happy when Lindsay nodded gratefully. The doctor closed the chart. "Okay, then, do you have any questions for me?"

"When can I go home?" The question came without hesitation.

"Why is it that no one ever asks how long they can stay in a hospital?" The doctor laughed. Then she got serious. "We can probably remove the chest tube tomorrow and set your nose at the same time. If all goes well, we'll probably be able to release you the day after tomorrow. You were extremely lucky but you do have substantial injuries."

Once the doctor left and Lindsay had finished her breakfast, Danny cleared away their trash and pushed the tray table out of the way. He returned to his perch on the side of her bed. Lindsay sighed.

"Danny, will you hold me?"

"Nothing would make me happier." Danny admitted then paused. "I know you don't want me hesitating or worrying about you but I can't help it. I don't want you to try to rush into thinking you need to immediately be okay and end up making thing worse. I'm not gonna wrap you in wool cotton but I'm not gonna ignore my concerns either. So I gotta ask, are you sure it won't hurt you?"

Lindsay nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Danny twisted on the bed so that he was lying next to her, her neck resting on his arm. He pulled the oxygen mask back in place and hit the button on the bed to turn on the TV. He found a game on a sports channel that they would both enjoy. They watched in companionable silence.

The nurse came in and gave her the pain shot about an hour later. The relief was almost immediately and Lindsay found herself drifting to sleep. She'd only been asleep twenty minutes when the door opened and a young couple Danny didn't recognize came in. The young woman smiled hesitantly. "I'm Carla Antsworth…"

Lindsay's eyes opened at the familiar voice. "Carla, hey. How are you?" Danny realized she was one of the other hostages.

"Well enough to be released apparently. I wanted to check on everyone before I left. I couldn't get in to see Sam but his wife says he's doing much better than expected. Amanda and Neil are going to be fine as well. In fact Neil's probably going home today as well. This is my fiancé Joshua.

Lindsay introduced Danny. She could sense Carla was uncomfortable but wanted to talk. She glanced up at her husband. "Dan, you think you guys could give us a little girl time?"

"Sure Babe, I'll be right outside." He kissed her head and extracted himself from the bed. Joshua didn't appear as eager to leave but agreed. Carla reached out to touch his hand but he had moved out of reach before she touched him. Lindsay patted the edge of her bed and waited for Carla to sit. Lindsay pulled the mask away again.

"How are you really?"

Carla's lower lip trembled. "I'm pretty messed up. I'm frightened to be alone but being around people scares me too. I lost count how many times I woke up screaming from nightmares last night. Every time I close my eyes, he's there hurting me and taunting me. Did you know he escaped from jail? He's out there and he could come after us."

"Have you talked to the rape counselor?" Lindsay felt like a hypocrite encouraging her to talk to the person that Lindsay herself wanted to avoid. But still, the younger woman could find it a positive experience.

The younger woman nodded. "She said everything I'm feeling was normal and that those feelings would get better with time. I know she's right but it's just so hard. When I leave here, I'm going home - not to my apartment here in the city but to my parents' home in Boston. I need my mom right now and I need to be where I'm not scared he's going to grab me. Josh is going with me. He actually hasn't had a chance to meet my parents yet so he thinks it's a good thing."

Lindsay had seen the look of hurt that briefly flashed over Carla's face when her fiancé had walked out without so much as a touch. She also remembered Carla's fear right after John had attacked her about losing him. "How are things with Josh?"

Carla sighed. "He didn't run out of the room screaming. This is the first time he's left my side since he arrived at the hospital."

"But?" Lindsay probed gently.

"When he first came into the ER, he was so happy that I was alive and okay that he pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. I jerked away; I wasn't even aware I was doing it until I had pulled completely away from him. I think he feels like I was rejecting him. He hasn't touched me since; it's like he goes out of his way to avoid contact. I didn't realize just how much it bothered me until I came in here and saw you and your husband together. I know you went through some of the same hell I did but he seems so comfortable with you and you with him. Will my one mistake cost me everything?"

Reaching out, Lindsay took the younger woman's hand in her own. "Carla, you had a reaction based on what happened to you. That's not a mistake. The best advice I can give you is to talk to him. Tell him what you need and listen to what he has to say in return. Danny and I have a little advantage over the two of you because we are married. We know each other pretty well already, sometimes we don't even need words to communicate. But Danny and I don't have it all together. We're still figuring this all out ourselves. We both have our own fears and reactions. I know Danny's real concerned about hurting me and I bet its the same way with Josh."

Carla nodded glumly. "I'll try that. I guess I can't fault him for not doing what I want him to do when I don't even know what that is myself. How are you doing; I didn't even ask."

"It's up and down. I'll be here a couple more days at least. It's more difficult that I ever believed it would be. I've been trained to work with rape victims but its completely different being on the other side."

The two women talked for a few more minutes and then Carla left and Danny came back in. He eased onto the bed with her and leaned in to kiss her. He paused momentarily hovering just about her lips, giving her a chance to pull away if she wanted. She didn't pull away and he captured her lips with his own. This kiss was less desperate than the one earlier but just as tender and loving. Then he gathered her gently in his arms holding her against him.

"I hope I didn't mess up. Josh wanted to know how I got you to trust me enough to let me hold you and kiss you. I told him it wasn't about getting you to trust me but me trusting you enough to help me know what you needed. Does that even make sense? I hope it sounded better to him."

"My advice to her was to talk to him and tell him what she needed and to listen to what he had to say. I think we were pretty much on the same page there."

They stayed right there curled up in each other's arms until the lunch tray came. The baked chicken and macaroni and cheese wasn't bad but it wasn't that great either. She didn't feel as starved as she had at breakfast but she was still hungry enough to eat it. Danny shook his head. "I promise you, Babe, anything you want for supper, I'll smuggle in here for you. You want filet mignon from Paris; I'll fly it in somehow."

Lindsay smiled her thanks. "You know what I want? I want to share a deep dish pepperoni and sausage pizza with you and Lucy. I promised her pizza for lunch before the robbery and I feel bad that I wasn't able to get it for her."

Danny nodded. "Pizza with my two girls it will be then. I'll call Ma later and get her to pick it up and bring Lucy."

Lindsay was still picking at her lunch when there was a knock at the door. Expecting Jo, Danny yelled to come in. Neither of them were prepared for the visitor that came in the door. Her high heeled Jimmy Choo shoes and curly brownish black hair were so familiar that Lindsay immediately began to cry.

"Stella?"


	21. Chapter 20

Author's notes: Sorry for the lack of a new chapter yesterday. I simply got tied up with work and was exhausted when I got home last night. I hope this is worth the wait. No guarantees that I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's episode so I might be delayed.

Disclaimer: If I owned them, I wouldn't be sitting on pins and needles waiting for tomorrow's episode.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 20<p>

Danny's happiness at seeing Stella Bonasera was eclipsed by the heart wrenching sobs that Lindsay had been reduced to. Knowing how close the two women were, he hadn't been surprised when Lindsay started to cry but he couldn't understand this almost devastation at the sight of their friend and former colleague. He tightened his embrace hoping to offer her comfort but she struggled in his arms, for the first time seemingly desperate to get away. He loosened his embrace but didn't release her completely.

Stella crossed the room trying to help but Lindsay's emotional distress seemed to increase. Danny could hear her muttering beneath the oxygen mask. "Not again, please not again. I thought it was over. It's not fair."

Unable to take it anymore, Danny pulled and held her against him despite her protests. "Lindsay, Babe, what's wrong? You're scaring me but you are really freaking Stella out."

Lindsay stopped struggling and went limp I his arms. She looked up at Danny, the expression in her eyes confused. "You can see her too?"

Realization dawned on Danny. Her question would have been amusing if the whole situation hadn't been so heart breaking. He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, Babe, Stella is really here."

Lindsay pulled away and looked at her friend. "I'm so sorry. I thought you were another hallucination. I thought they were all gone but you were here but you couldn't be here because you are in New Orleans. I wanted it to be real, but it was too much to hope for. I'm so sorry."

The rambling concerned Stella almost as much as the sobs had. She hugged her younger friend tightly, tears prickling her own eyes. Mac had warned her that Lindsay was emotionally fragile but she hadn't been prepared for just how fragile she'd really be. "Oh, Kiddo, don't apologize. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have surprised you like that. I didn't think."

Stella accepted tissues that Danny pressed in her hands, giving his hand a squeeze as she did so. She helped Lindsay wipe her eyes and settle back in the bed. The injured woman couldn't take her eyes off Stella as if she wasn't completely sure she trusted her senses.

"How did you know?"

"Mac called me the night of the robbery to tell me you were missing. I wanted to fly up then but he suggested I wait until you were found. When he called me yesterday to tell me you'd been rescued, I put in for my vacation and caught the first available flight. I'm here for a week but I can extend my stay if I need to."

Lindsay was feeling a little shaky from the crying but it was starting to level out. She had been thinking about Stella all day, wanting to call and ask her to visit but scared to voice the request out loud. It was one of the reasons she'd been so sure that her arrival was just a hallucination. Something she wanted so much that her mind had decided to play a cruel trick. Two things had made her hold off either making the call or getting Danny to do it for her. One was that she knew how busy the other woman was running the New Orleans Crime Lab. More importantly, she didn't want Danny or the others to think she was slighting them but Stella had been the first to break through her protective shell here in New York and for that reason it just always seemed easier for her to confide in the older woman. "Can you afford all that time off? I know how busy you are."

Stella gave Lindsay's hand a squeeze. "Never too busy for you, Kiddo. Yeah, the lab is busy and I never realized how much harder it was being the one in charge. I see now why Mac never sleeps. But at the end of the day, it's just work and others will pick up my slack for as long as I'm away. The two of you are family. Besides after I growled at a couple of techs over something small yesterday morning the whole lab was volunteering to pack my bags for me."

The two women hugged again. Danny could feel himself relax just a little; Stella's presence would be good for Lindsay. He knew her recovery would be difficult, and despite the talk and the kisses they had shared, Lindsay would have to confront the memories of the attack. He couldn't see her having cathartic heart to hearts with a counselor and that her own protective streak would keep her from confiding the worst parts of it in him. Stella, however, could convince her to open up in ways that no one else seemed to be able to.

Stella studied both of her friends while trying not to appear to be doing so. She could tell Lindsay was in pain by the way she gingerly maneuvered herself on the bed. She could remember how sore she'd been after Frankie's attack, and she knew Lindsay's injuries were much more severe. But it was the expression in Lindsay's eyes that really told the story of her emotional state. After everything Lindsay had been through since coming to New York, Stella would have thought she had seen every emotion possible reflected in those brown pools. True, there weren't many new emotions there but the combination of all those negative emotions joined together and mixed with a little bit of doubt was almost more than she could bear.

Danny wasn't much better. She could only remember seeing him look so unkempt in the months directly after the shooting. She knew how hard this had to be for him. The lab's perpetual little boy who wasn't going to be serious about life had settled down quickly and happily when Lindsay had agreed to share her life with him. Lindsay and Lucy didn't just mean the world to him, they _were_ his whole world. It must be killing him to see her Lindsay in this shape.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask. So many that Mac simply hadn't known the answer to when he called her yesterday. From what she gathered, he was calling her while driving to the hospital to meet the couple there directly after she'd been rescued. He had told her what their fears were about Lindsay's condition but she didn't know how bad it really was. But instead of asking the painful questions, she kept the conversation light. Time for the hard questions would come later.

"So when can I get my hands on my favorite little niece? From those last pictures you e-mailed me, it looks like she's grown so much."

Danny was about to answer when the door pushed open again to reveal Jo Danville. She looked surprise to see Stella sitting there. She had never met the woman whose job she took over but she had seen enough photos of her to know her immediately.

Danny made the introductions and the two women shook hands. Jo then gave Lindsay's shoulder a small squeeze in greeting before settling on the couch. "How are you feeling, Lindsay? I'm sorry I haven't been here but it seemed like I could do more by letting Mac come to the hospital yesterday. Then work got busy."

Lindsay chewed her bottom lip, ignoring the question Jo had asked. "How close are they to catching him?"

Stella's eyes flashed fire. "What 'he' are you worried about them catching, Lindsay? Mac told me when he called yesterday that the men responsible were behind bars."

"The ring leader killed a detective and escaped." Jo explained, then continued. "Nothing on Atwood yet. It's the strangest thing; we've barely even had any false tips called in. It's like he's disappeared."

Danny shot Jo a glare about the same time that Lindsay dug her fingernails into his arm. It wasn't that he lied to her about the escape, he just shared the information that was important that she knew at the time. "Nobody told me that he killed someone in the escape. Who was it? Oh my God, it wasn't Don was it? Is that why I haven't seen him since yesterday? Danny?"

Jo realized she had said too much and mouthed a silent apology. Gently he extracted his arm from her grasp before her nails could draw blood. He took both her hands in his and waited until he was sure she was listening to what he had to say. "Flack is fine, Babe. He left after finding out you were being moved to a regular room so he could go question the other three suspects. We were hoping they could give us some clue as to where Atwood was hiding. James Markson was the detective that was killed. I'm sorry I didn't tell you yesterday. I should have told you when I broke the news that Atwood escaped."

Lindsay nodded slowly. She liked Markson; he wasn't Flack but still one of her favorite detectives to work with if Flack wasn't available. It hurt to think he was dead and had died at the hands of the man who had hurt her so much. She hated the panic that rose within her with each new piece of information but didn't know how to prevent it. "If the gang won't talk, maybe you could find someone who knew him at Rikers. Maybe they would know of a place he might hide."

Jo smiled. "Flack had the same idea. I think he went home last night for a few hours sleep but this morning he was driving up to see what he could find out. He'll be here tonight. Lindsay, you concentrate on getting better. You've already done the hard part of this case and helped up get their identities. Give us the opportunity to do some of the work. Speaking of going home, Danny, why don't you take advantage of Stella and I being here so you could run home for a little bit. You could get a shower and change, maybe shave and get a change of clothes. I'm sure Lindsay wouldn't mind having some real clothes to put on. That gown can't be that comfortable."

Danny didn't like the idea at all. He knew that neither Jo nor Stella would let anything happen to Lindsay, but the idea of leaving her for any length of time scared him. What if something happened and he could get to her in time? But then he saw her eyes light up at the thought of having real clothes to put on. He sighed. He had hoped that she would confide in Stella. Maybe this would be an opportunity. "Okay, I guess I could do that. You sure you don't mind, Babe?"

She didn't want him to leave any more than it appeared that he wanted to leave. But still, he deserved a few minutes to himself. "I'll be fine. Maybe Stella and Jo could help me get a shower while you are gone."

Jo stood. "I'll go check with your nurse and see if there are any restrictions." She was gone in a second, relived to have a task that would help. She felt bad about upsetting Lindsay with the news of Markson's death.

Once she was out of the room, Danny looked back at Lindsay. "I don't have to do this. I'm fine and I can get Ma to stop by the apartment and pack a bag for both of us when she brings the pizza and Lucy."

As much as Lindsay wanted to have him stay she knew that Jo was right about him needing to get out of there. "You want your mom to carry a duffle bag of clothes and toiletries for the two us, our daughter, and a pizza all the way up here? Danny, your mother is a super mom but that's asking a lot, isn't it?" He nodded reluctantly and she smiled thinly. "Just do me a favor. I think the swelling is down in my hands now. Can I please have my ring back?"

Danny returned her smile with one of his own and slid the small band off his pinky and onto her ring finger. Then cupping her face gently in his own, he kissed her warmly. "I love you so much. I'll be back before you know it." He kissed her again and then stepped away from the bed.

Stella followed him to the door, giving him a warm hug. "Don't worry about her, Danny. I won't let anything happen to her."

"I know…" Danny sighed, unable to verbalize his fears. He kept his voice low so that Lindsay wouldn't hear what he had to say. "Stella, they didn't just beat her. They, Atwood actually, took away much more; I don't know how much. You know Linds though. I'm afraid she's tying to act like is all okay until she convinces herself that it is true. Maybe you could…"

Stella smiled. "I'll do what I can. I know Jo has her weapon but just in case…"

"In the top drawer." He'd missed this the most since Stella left. Their ability to finish each other's sentences because they knew each other that well. Realizing that Lindsay would indeed be safe, he kissed his friend's cheek and left.

Stella returned to Lindsay's bedside. The younger woman frowned and pushed aside the mask. "He's worried about me."

"We all are, Kiddo; occupational hazard of loving someone. You worry about getting better, let him worry about you, and the rest of us will worry about both of you. That way the worry is spread around evenly."

Jo returned but not alone. With her was Michelle Greer. The counselor smiled at Lindsay. "Detective Danville was telling me you wanted a shower but I was hoping we could talk first. Is it okay if they wait outside the door while we do that? They won't be far."

Lindsay wanted to say no but she was certain that if she did it would only fuel Michelle's belief that she needed to talk. She wasn't sure if it was better or worse that she knew Michelle but she wasn't looking forward to the questions that she was certain Michelle was going to ask. "Yeah, sure. I guess that would be okay. Jo, Stella, do you mind?"

The two woman promised they would be just outside and then stepped outside. Seeing two chairs right across the hall, Jo and Stella took a seat where they could see anyone that got close to he room. Jo shook her head. "I hate like hell that Lindsay is having to go through this. She and Danny both. Neither one of them deserves this. I know they are tough and that they love each other enough to get through this but it's not going to be easy."

"Nothing about their relationship has been easy. Danny must have gone nuts while she was missing. He never did 'Lindsay in danger' well even when they weren't dating. Couldn't have been easy keeping him from doing something crazy."

"He handled it surprisingly better than I thought he would. It's good that you are here though. Hard as I may try, I can't take your place in their lives."

Stella smiled sympathetically. "It shouldn't be about taking my place but about finding your own. From what I hear from everyone, you've managed to do that quite well."

Jo looked at her. "I didn't know you talked to everyone that much."

With a shrug, Stella explained. "I talk to Lindsay and Mac the most. Lindsay on the weekends when we both have time off and Mac during the week when I come up with some excuse to call for advice. The rest is usually by Facebook or Twitter. They've all said the same thing; you've fit in like you've been here your whole career."

Jo indicated the room with a nod of her head. "How do you think that's going to go? In the months I've known Lindsay the one thing that's been obvious is that she doesn't discuss her feelings much."

"Lindsay will open up only as much as she feels like she has to. It took her over a year of being at the lab before she opened up to me. Since we've got time to kill, why don't you fill me in on what that bastard did to her."

Inside the hospital room, Michelle sat down in the chair next to the bed. "I thought I heard that Detective Bonasera transferred to New Orleans."

Lindsay nodded. "She came back when she heard what happened to me. Look, Michelle, I know how this works. You don't have to ease into it with small talk."

Michelle nodded. She'd been pretty confident that Lindsay wasn't going to be an easy victim to work with. What was the saying, doctors and nurses make the worst patients? If that was true then cops made the worst victims. "Okay then. No small talk. Would you like to tell me what you remember about the attack?

Shaking her head, Lindsay stared at a spot on the far wall. "Not really. You performed the exam so you probably know more about what happened than I do. Especially since the drugs that I was given had me hallucinating throughout most of my captivity." That's right, Lindsay, she told herself. Keep yourself detached and technical and you can get through this.

"Maybe if we compared stories we can sort out what was real and what was imagined. Reality wasn't that great but I have a feeling it wasn't as bad as you think it might have been."

Realizing she didn't have much choice, Lindsay began to recount her memories.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

By the time Danny returned to the hospital not quite two hours later, he felt slightly more human. He had showered, shaved, and changed into clean clothes. He took longer to pack a bag for Lindsay trying to figure out what she might like to wear. Something soft that wouldn't be too confining to her injuries would be best and he had a feeling a bra wouldn't a viable option for awhile. He finally packed her a couple of pairs of cotton lounge pants, the ones she liked to wear just around the house on her days off, a couple of tank tops, and a couple of her baggiest t-shirts. He made one more stop on his way back and then headed to the hospital. Reaching the floor of Lindsay's room with a duffle bag and a large bag from a nearby store, he was surprised to see Jo and Stella sitting outside Lindsay's room, talking animatedly. It was clear they were trading stories about the team as if they had known each other for years. He indicated the room.

"What's going on?"

"Michelle Greer is talking with her. She's been in there for almost as long as you've been gone."

Danny was shocked. After the incident with Shane Casey, Lindsay had practically spent every minute of her counseling sessions watching the clock waiting for the hour to be up. He couldn't believe she hadn't kicked the other woman out of her room an hour and a half ago. Perhaps this time counseling would be different.

The door opened and Michelle stepped out. She closed the door behind her obviously wanting to talk without Lindsay overhearing. "She's asleep. Discussing what happened wore her out. Danny, you were right about her. She's not going to willingly agree to counseling. The only reason I could get her to talk today was to differentiate between hallucination and reality. I believe she now knows exactly what really happened to her but the memories of those hallucinations will not go away overnight. You were also right about not needing a suicide watch. She's a strong person. She's going to have really tough days but she's determined to be okay. I think she will be but I would be happier if she would agree to more counseling. Try to talk her into it."

Danny promised and then walked into the room. Jo and Stella followed behind him Danny stood at the foot of the bed watching Lindsay. He had a knowing look on his face. "You may have fooled Michelle but you don't fool me, Babe. I know you aren't asleep."

Lindsay opened her teary eyes. Danny sat beside her and gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly. He was sure it wasn't easy for her to talk about what happened. She would have relived every moment of it while talking about the experience. After a few minutes she pulled away. "I'm glad you are back."

He smiled at her. "I bought you something. Figured it might help you feel better." He held the bag up. "Sorry I didn't have a chance to gift wrap it."

She opened the bag and pulled out the lone object inside it. A genuine smile lit up her face she saw it. It was a large creature pillow that was in the shape of a cow. She hugged it to her as Danny explained. "With your ribs all busted up, I thought it might help to have a pillow to hug to you when you needed to move. You know, to kind of brace your ribs so they don't hurt as much. When I found one that looked like a cow, I knew it would be perfect.

A couple of tears slipped down her cheeks. "You're perfect. I'd rather have you holding me but this will be a great substitute. Thank you so much. I love you."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY-

When Anna Messer arrived at the hospital that evening with Lucy and two pizzas, Danny and Stella were the only two there with Lindsay. Jo had left about an hour earlier to be there when Ellie got home. Flack had called to say he would be there in about an hour. When Lucy saw Stella in the room, she ran straight for her and threw her arms around her. "Aunt Stella, Aunt Stella, you're here! We's bought pizza."

Danny gave Lindsay a solemn look. "I think we've been replaced."

Lindsay shook her head. "As soon as we open that pizza box, she'll be ours again."

Seeing that his mother had bought two pizzas, Danny looked at her confused. "I know Lindsay's appetite has been huge today but two?"

Mrs. Messer chuckled warmly. "Every time I brought just one pizza when you were growing up, all your friends would show up and there wouldn't be enough. I figured things haven't changed that much so I brought two."

No sooner had Lindsay tore into the first slice, the hospital door opened and Mac came in. Ten minutes later, Sid and Sheldon arrived to check on Lindsay. Mrs. Messer smiled knowingly. When Flack arrived thirty minutes later both pizza's had been devoured leaving not so much as a glob of melted cheese. Stella put in a call to have two more pizzas delivered since it seemed like Lindsay was enjoying the company and safety of all her friends. As Lindsay had predicted, Lucy had come back to her parents as soon as they started to eat pizza. Now she had lying beside Lindsay sound asleep.

At Mac's questioning, Flack admitted that they didn't have any new information on Atwood's whereabouts. He did have a bit of news about the three suspects in federal custody. "They're set to be arraigned in federal court in three days. Federal Prosecutors are aiming to have them held without bond until the case goes to trial."

Lindsay listened to his statement. With a pounding of her heart, she made an announcement of her own. "I want to be there."


	22. Chapter 21

Author's Notes: Well, I was able to get most of this chapter written at school while my students took their weekly tests. I even managed to get their tests graded as well. Too bad every day can't be tests days. This chapter brings back a little of the angst but hopefully nothing too heavy.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 21<p>

"Not happening." Danny immediately insisted. Lindsay opened her mouth to protest but before she could utter a word, he placed a finger over her mouth silencing her. "No way, Babe. You will have just gotten out of the hospital by then provided they've even let you out. The last thing you need is to have to sit there and listen to the prosecutor recount all the monstrosities those bastards have committed - monstrosities that you had to go through. Not to mention the fact that Atwood is still at large out there. What if he tries to break out his buddies? I get that you want to see justice served; so do I, but it's not worth risking your safety over."

Lindsay stared at him, her brown eyes getting darker with anger. It was almost as if they'd both forgotten they had a roomful of witnesses. "My turn. Danny, this isn't about want. I need to be there. The two men who hurt me the most aren't going to be in that courtroom - one because he's in a morgue and the other because he's in the wind. I need to see with my own eyes that the other three men go to prison, even if its just until the main trial. You're right - I lived through those monstrosities; hearing about them can't hurt me any worse than that. As for Atwood, I don't believe he cares about them enough to try to break them out. He doesn't care about anything or anyone. He's an animal caught in a trap; he'll chew off his own hand if it means he gets away. I don't see him willingly walking into a building full of cops. It will be safe - you'll make sure I'm safe.

Stella exchanged a look with Mac, silently asking if they should all excuse themselves from the room. Mac shook his head ever so slightly. He wasn't sure how this was going to play out but he was afraid it wouldn't be good to interrupt them.

"It's federal court, Linds. They've got different rules over there; I don't think they'll even allow police officers to carry their weapons into court. If something should happen to you…" He trailed off unable to even consider the rest.

"Nothing will happen to me, Dan. You promised you wouldn't wrap me in wool cotton and that's what it feels like you are doing. How about a compromise? If Mac can clear it so that I can carry my concealed back-up revolver for protection, you'll let me go. In return, if it seems like it's emotionally overwhelming for me, I'll leave. Fair enough?"

_No_ was what he wanted to reply. None of this was fair at all but her compromise did seem to be the closest he was going to get. He couldn't get angry with her for wanting to look those bastards in the eyes. Hell, he couldn't get angry with her about anything right now. He glanced at Mac. "What do you think?"

"I think she's right about it being risky for Atwood to show his face. I'll make a call in the morning and check on the gun issue. I'll make no promises to either of you, but we'll see."

With the argument seemingly on hold for the moment, the visitors let out a breath of relief. As the second set of pizza's arrived, Anna Messer gave her son and daughter-in-law warm hugs and gently gathered a still sleeping Lucy in her arms. "I'd better get this one home and in bed before she wakes up with a second wind."

Both Lindsay and Danny kissed their sleeping daughter. Lindsay would have preferred to have Anna leave Lucy sleeping beside her all night. There was something comforting about having the small body pressed close to her side. A reminder in the face of all that was wrong in the world that there was still goodness. She didn't make the request, however, because she knew the nurses would disapprove if they came in during the night and saw her there. Plus, she didn't want to frighten Lucy if she had another night fraught with nightmares.

After they left, Sheldon checked his watch. "I'm surprised Adam hasn't dropped by. He was asking at the lab earlier about how you were doing. I told him we were all stopping by to visit tonight."

Lindsay wasn't surprised and she wasn't hurt by Adam's lack of visit. If he had been at the warehouse when she was rescued and caught even a glimpse of her, he wouldn't come to see her while she was so bruised up. The quirky young lab tech didn't talk about his childhood much but one day he had opened up to her and told her about the abuse he'd suffered as a boy at the hands of his father. He had lost his composure while talking to a victim of a home invasion one night and Lindsay had sought him out to check on him.

_She had found him in a deserted lab almost completely in tears. She knew he wasn't used to working crime scenes and figured it was the brutality of seeing the young woman with her face bruised and bloodied from injuries that included a broken nose. That was when he admitted that it was more than that._

"_I had a girlfriend in high school." He started. "Angie was the best. She knew my dad would beat me but she never judged me for it. One evening I had run to the store to get a couple of movies while she stayed at my house waiting for a pizza delivery. Mom was visiting her sister and Dad was suppose to be at work. While I was gone, he came home early drunk and in a bad mood. He punched her in the face because he didn't believe the reason she gave for being there. I came in right after he did it. God, Lindsay, he broke her nose and then told me it was all my fault for having her in the house. She broke up with me after that. She swore she didn't blame me but she was scared of taking a chance of getting hurt again. I don't think all the times he hit me put together ever hurt as badly as seeing what he did to her. Now I see a woman who's been beaten and I think of Angie and it hurts all over again. Is that wrong of me?"_

_Lindsay had wrapped her arms around him. "No more than its wrong of me to flashback on the night my friends died whenever I pull a scene where teenage girls are the victims. I think we all have cases that affect us more than others. It's what keeps us human."_

_Adam wiped his eyes and offered an apologetic smile. "You remind me of her a lot. Maybe that's why I could tell you about this. Both of you have this way of making me feel safe enough to talk."_

If he had seen her with her nose all bloodied and swollen, she could imagine how hard that would have been for him. It wasn't that he didn't care but that he cared too much. "Adam's not good with hospitals." She told the group instead of revealing the truth. She wasn't about to break his trust but she didn't want the others giving him a hard time either. "He'll come around once I'm out of here."

The group stayed for another hour apparently just content with knowing Lindsay was safe and enjoying the return of a good friend. When the hospital announcement came on that visiting hours were ending, they all said their goodbyes, except for Flack who was staying for guard duty. Stella promised to come by in the morning.

It wasn't long after they had left that Danny flaked out on the couch. Lindsay, however, seemed wide awake. Flack eyed her carefully. "You really should get some sleep."

Lindsay shrugged. "Too wired I guess." She paused, chewing on her bottom lip. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Other than the one just asked me? You know you can."

"Jo told us you were going to Rikers today. Did anyone tell you what happened to him while he was there?"

Flack shifted uncomfortably regretting his assurance that she could ask him anything. "Yeah, a few of the guards and some of the prisoners remembered him really well. He was arrested for robbery. Ten banks in all but in the last one before he was caught, a guard was shot and killed. Because of the murder rap, he was put in with violent criminals. I'm not making excuses for him but maybe if they had put him in a different facility at Rikers things would have turned out differently. He wasn't some innocent saint when he went in but apparently he wasn't the violent SOB he is now either."

"He told me a guard used his night stick on him to 'introduce' him to what life in jail was going to be like." Her voice got low as she recounted the memory.

Flack closed his eyes so that Lindsay wouldn't see and misinterpret the revulsion in his own eyes. He had heard the whole story from one of the inmates while at Rikers. He'd also heard Michelle's report from the SOEC performed on Lindsay and seen the recovered night stick from the room she'd been held captive in; the night stick that had Lindsay's DNA on it. He was a cop trained to sensitively ask the difficult questions to traumatized victims. This wasn't just a traumatized victim, however; this was Lindsay, wife of his best friend and a good friend in her own right. He opened his eyes searching for any sign that she was begging him not to ask questions.

"Linds, you don't have to answer this but am I right in thinking he tried to give you the same 'introduction'?" _Please say no, _he begged silently, even though he was certain he was right.

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded ever so slightly. "He said he'd waited twenty years to return the favor. I wasn't prepared for it; none of the other victims showed that kind of abuse."

She was right; as bad as the torture appeared to have been, there had been no evidence of sodomy. A fist closed in on his heart as he realized the one thing that had been different about Lindsay from the other hostages.. "Did this happen after he discovered you were a cop?"

She nodded mutely. Stella was the one she'd expected to break past her defenses and get her to talk and perhaps she would later. Surprisingly, talking to Flack wasn't as difficult as she'd been afraid it would be - maybe because he wasn't asking for graphic details.

With her admission, Flack made a silent promise to himself. He would seek out Finn Bestly and "introduce" his foot so far up the former reporter's ass that his foot came out the man's mouth. Had Atwood not known Lindsay was a cop, he never would have tried to hurt her that way. Rape still might have occurred but not this obscene gesture of misplaced revenge. "What stopped him?"

He didn't know if he was helping or hurting by gently prying the information from her. He could only hope that it was the former. He prayed the answer was that some shred of human decency had prevented him from carrying out his vile act. Lindsay sniffled. "One of the other men came in and told him it was time to go. I couldn't figure out the timing. It looked like they were planning another robbery but it didn't seem like six days had passed."

So in a way Flack decided his prayer had been answered. Human decency had prevented the full attack but it hadn't been Atwood's but Danny's. Had Danny not insisted that six days was too long to wait, Atwood would have exacted his revenge.

"Can I tell you something that you won't tell anyone including Danny?"

It was on the tip of his tongue to agree outright. Anything she needed or wanted, he wanted to give to her. But what if it was something Danny desperately needed to know. "Am I going to regret it if I say yes?"

Lindsay shook her head. "It's not that bad. I just… never mind."

Feeling like she was about to shut down, he felt like a heel. "No, I'm sorry, Linds. I promise I won't tell anyone unless not doing so could physically cause you harm."

Lindsay took a shaky breath. "I know what he did to me wasn't as physically bad as what he did to Carla and the others. He was interrupted before he could hurt me too much. But emotionally? I almost wish he would have just raped me like he did them instead of what attempted to do. Its that horrible of me?"

Flack folded her in his arms not knowing what to say. How horrible she must feel if the better alternative was rape? "No, of course not. Just the thought of what he had planned for you makes me ill and I didn't have to live it. Linds, I know you don't want to see a counselor but can I ask why? It seems like it would help you."

"When I was a little girl, I was always running after my brothers on the farm. It seems like I always had a scrapped knee or elbow. Problem was, as soon as the wound would scab over I'd start picking at it until I tore off the scab and made it bleed again. Every wound would take three or four times longer to heal cause I wouldn't leave it alone. That's what counseling is like for me. An hour of week of tearing off the scab and making the wound bleed all over again. It doesn't get a chance to heal because I keep opening it up again. I know counseling is suppose to help but it doesn't, not for me. It just makes me feel like I'm climbing up the down escalator that keeps speeding up."

He somewhat understood what she meant. After Jess died, he'd been devastated but the pain seemed to ease until something happened to remind him of her. Then it felt like he had lost her all over again. Each time the pain got a little better but it still hurt like hell. But still…

"I have a firefighter buddy who got burned while working a house fire. He had to keep going for these debridement treatments where the doctors had to remove the dead burnt skin. Each time the pain was incredible but the doctor explained to him that it was the only way for the skin to heal. What if it's like that with counseling, it has to hurt in order to get better? I know its tough but if anyone is strong enough to get through it, its you."

"I don't think I'm all that strong, but I'll think about it."

"That's all we can ask for."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Stella arrived about eight in the morning to find everyone grumbling. Danny was complaining about pain the couch was causing in his back while Lindsay was upset that she couldn't have breakfast because they might have to completely sedate her to set her nose later that morning. Flack was having to leave because he'd gotten a call that another prostitute had been found strangled to death in Central Park and that he was needed at the scene. He mumbled something about serial killers taking a day off before he said his goodbyes and left.

The doctor came in with an orderly to transport Lindsay to have her nose set and the chest tube removed. The doctor explained that she didn't normally personally come in to get patients but given what Lindsay had been through, felt that the injured woman would be more comfortable with a somewhat familiar face. She warned Stella and Danny that it might take a couple of hours before Lindsay came back and even then she would probably be pretty doped up from the procedure. After they were gone, Stella offered to go down to the cafeteria to get Danny some breakfast since he hadn't want to eat in front of Lindsay.

Danny had only been alone for about ten minutes when someone knocked lightly on the door. He invited them in but didn't recognize the elderly man who came in. He looked confused.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for Lindsay Messer. I'm Dr. Neil Waterson; we spent some time together after the robbery."

Danny shook the man's hand and invited him to sit down. He explained where Lindsay was. "She's going to be upset that she missed you. How are you?"

"Better than I deserve to be. I'm ashamed to say that I think I got off the lightest of the five of us. They could just about have released me from the ER but they wanted to keep me for observation until the drugs I was given got out of my system. Seems they were concerned what speed would do to my old ticker. But I'm fine. You've got one incredibly brave wife, young man. I hope you know that. I just wish I could have done more to protect her."

There was still so much about her captivity that Danny didn't know about; that she hadn't felt comfortable sharing. After meeting Carla the day before and now Neil, Danny was glad that Lindsay had good people surrounding her while being put through hell. She hadn't had to face it alone.

Stella came back into the room, handing a Styrofoam container to Danny. He introduced her to Neil, who stood. "Pleasure meeting you. I wish I could stay and say hi to Lindsay but I really have to get home. This hasn't been easy on my wife. She suffers from Alzheimer's. Fortunately my daughter has been staying with her but I'm afraid my wife thinks that I'm still overseas fighting in 'Nam. I should get home. Please let Lindsay know I came by and I'll check on her later."

After he left Stella studied Danny. "How are you doing? I know how hard this is on you and how strong you are having to be for Lindsay."

Danny sighed, setting his breakfast aside untouched. "I'm so scared I'm going to screw this up, Stella. I don't know how to protect her from all this. I feel like we are both drowning in all this and all I can do is hold on to her as we both go down for the final time."

She hugged her friend. One thing they all had in common was their almost need to be in control of things. This was so far out of his control that it had to be killing him. "Then let us throw you a lifeline when you need it. You aren't in this alone. We're here and we aren't going to let either of you drown."

"She wants me to make love to her." Danny couldn't believe he'd actually blurted that out to Stella but he needed another perspective. "It's what I want and it's what she says she wants so why do I feel like it's the worst thing I could do."

Stella sighed. "Danny, there's no time table on dealing with this. You've both been through hell, Lindsay especially. You've got to trust your instincts and most of all you both had to keep talking to each other. Lindsay trusts you and she knows you aren't going to do anything to hurt her. Trust yourself as much as she trusts you."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

When Lindsay had been wheeled back to the room, she was still sedated. Her nose was heavily padded and the chest tube had been removed. The doctor had cautioned that she would probably sleep most of the day. Not only had they sedated her but had given her pretty strong painkillers to help with the very painful process of performing the reduction on her nose. Sleep, Lindsay did. She would wake up for a few minutes, talk for a few minutes about something that didn't make sense and then drift off to sleep once again. Despite the circumstances, Stella and Danny got to the point where they would giggle every time she drifted back to sleep.

Sheldon arrived around dinner time for his night of staying with the couple. By then Danny was more than a little concerned with how much she was still sleeping but Sheldon had assured him that it wasn't anything to worry about. By morning, she'd be back to normal.

When his cell phone rang around midnight, he stepped into the bathroom so he wouldn't disturb either Danny or Lindsay. It was Camille and before he knew it, he had gotten caught up in the conversation and thirty minutes had passed. Finally he convinced her that he had to get off the phone. Stepping back into the room, his heart dropped. Danny was still asleep on the couch but Lindsay's bed was empty. The hospital door was slightly ajar.

"Danny, wake up, man. We have a problem."

Danny woke up slowly and looked around. "What's wrong?"

"I stepped into the bathroom to take a call and when I came back, Lindsay was gone."

Danny bolted up. The first thing he noticed was that the drawer to the night stand was ajar. Going to it, he looked inside and paled. He looked back at Hawkes. "My gun is missing too."


	23. Chapter 22

Author's Notes: Shorter chapter tonight but I hope it works well. The next chapter will be about the arraignment. Reviews are always loved and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 22<p>

Danny stared at Sheldon in dismay. "Okay, not going to panic. I mean what, we're talking about a couple of minutes that she's been gone, right? She can't be far."

Sheldon shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe longer. I was on the phone for about thirty minutes. Camille called and we haven't had much time because we've all been working nonstop. Both of you were asleep and I didn't see the harm."

"See the harm now? Damn it, Hawkes, you do understand what guard duty is all about, don't you? If you were going to step out of the room, couldn't you have at least stepped out in the hallway so you could see anyone who came in or out of the room." He stormed out of the room desperate to find Lindsay.

None of the nurses at the desk had seen Lindsay leave the room and they hadn't seen anyone approaching either. One of the nurses called the hospital security and put out an alert. Within five minutes a guard was there; it was the same guard whose gun Lindsay had taken the first day in the hospital. He promised to seal off the entrances and that all the guards would be looking.

"Any idea if she went alone or was taken? I know there's a worry about the man that kidnapped her originally coming after her."

Sheldon frowned. "I never heard a sound from the room. If Atwood came in, he didn't make any noise and Lindsay didn't put up a fight."

"She's been doped up on sedation and painkillers all day." Danny argued. He didn't want to have to mention the next part but knew he had to. "My gun is missing as well. It was in the top drawer of the night stand."

The guard remembered the incident in the CT lab. "Could she be suffering from another hallucination?"

Danny shrugged. "She hasn't had one since the time in CT but the doctor couldn't guarantee what kind of reaction she would have from the drugs she was given today. Look, standing around here isn't going to help find her.

"_Bill, we just got a report of a possible jumper on the roof."_

Without waiting, Danny took off for the stairs figuring it would be faster than waiting for the elevator. When he threw open the door to the roof he was surprised to see that it was raining. When had that happened? Stepping out in the steady rain, he could see a lone female standing at the edge of the roof. His breath caught in his throat; it was Lindsay. What was she doing? She was completely soaked having obviously been standing there for several minutes. He took several steps closer to her.

"Linds, Babe, you okay?"

She turned to face him, looking surprised to see him standing there. "Danny, what are you doing here. I thought you were asleep."

Her voice lacked expression but otherwise seemed so ordinary. Danny took a couple of steps closer. "Sheldon woke me up when you weren't in the bed. We were worried something happened to you. What are you doing up here?"

"I couldn't breathe. I had to get some air." She explained as if it made the most perfect sense.

Danny knew that several doctors, nurses, and guards were standing at the doorway, ready to intervene if it was necessary. He shook his head. "You couldn't breathe? With an oxygen mask still on your face, you couldn't breathe?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes, leaning against the railing for support. "Not that kind of couldn't breathe, Danny. I woke up from a nightmare and felt caged in. I haven't been outside since this whole nightmare began. I could hear rain hitting the window in the room and had to get outside. You know how I am. I can't be cooped up inside for very long without going stir crazy."

He had to struggle to keep his cool. He couldn't get angry at her even though a good portion of him wanted to take her by the shoulders and give her a good shake for scaring him. "Why didn't you wake me up or find Hawkes? There's a crazed killer on the loose you know."

"Really, Danny? I had forgotten all about the fact that the man who hurt me could be coming after me again. Thanks for the newsflash." She reached behind her and pulled Danny's gun from her waistband. "I didn't come out without protection. I am a cop or have you forgotten that part? Besides, as much as I love you, I needed a little time by myself. Why are all those people hovering around?"

Danny glanced back at them. "While we were looking for you, someone called in and reported a potential jumper on the roof. God, Linds, I was so scared. I didn't know if Atwood had gotten his hands on you or if you had another hallucination and was going to hurt your…" He trailed off not completing his statement.

He saw the flash of hurt in her eyes. Gingerly kneeling down, she put his gun on the ground and slid it in his direction. "Here, take your gun back since you don't think I can be trusted with it." She turned her back to him and he couldn't tell by her shaking shoulders if she was crying or cold.

Ignoring the gun, Danny walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her holding her tightly. She remained rigid in his arms but didn't fight against him. Even if she had, he wouldn't have released her; he needed to feel her cold, soaking wet body against him. "Linds. I never said I didn't trust you. I just was scared."

"And instead of picturing what the woman you love and married would do, you imagined what victim Lindsay might do. In all the years you've known me how many times have I gone for long walks in the rain when something is bothering me? How many times have I tried to hurt myself? What made you ignore the most obvious answer and jump straight to the one that makes no sense?" Her voice was tight with hurt and he wasn't sure what he could to make things better. He sighed and she continued. "Let me guess. Michelle told you that some victims of rape, especially ones who have been drugged have to be watched carefully because they've been known to hurt themselves."

"At first she did but yesterday after she talked to you, she decided you weren't in danger of hurting yourself. I don't know, maybe the fear lingered in the back of my mind anyway."

"Therapists are all the same. They have their training and their statistics that tell them what people who have experienced traumas are going through but they don't really know what its like. They take every little comment you say and analyze it to death trying to figure out what it means. Then they compare it to what statistics say a person is feeling and act on that. I can't do that again, Danny. I won't put myself through that again."

"I don't understand, Babe. I want to but I don't."

She glanced back over his arm where the medical personal were edging closer and closer. "Danny, can you please get rid of them? They think I'm crazy and probably want to put me in a padded room or something. Please, I know its crazy to be out here in the rain but you know rain walks make me feel better. I promise I'll try to make you understand but let me stay out here a little longer."

Danny kissed the side of her face and released her. Every fiber in his being wanted to pull her away from the ledge and take her to her room but he did understand that for her rain had some sort of magically healing power. If this was what she needed to make it through the night, then sitting with her in the cold soaking rain was an okay price to pay for helping her through it.

"Guys, she's fine. I know what it looks like but she wasn't trying to hurt herself. She just needed to be outside for a little bit. I'm going to stay with her for a few more minutes and then I'll bring her back to her room."

The nurse assigned to Lindsay's case shook her head. "This cold rain could make her sick. She's already at risk for pneumonia because of the broken ribs and injury to her lungs. She needs to come back inside and let us check her out."

"Five or ten minutes, please. I know its cold but she's used to much worse weather. I'll take full responsibility."

They looked like they were about to argue some more but then Sheldon stepped forward. "I'm a doctor, I'll take responsibility as well. If we force her back inside now, we'll do her more harm physiologically than the physical danger of letting her stay out here for a few more minutes. Everyone else can go back to work; I'll stay just inside the stairwell and if she looks like she's in distress, I'll handle it."

Reluctant but seeing that her husband and friend were going to support her, the hospital staff relented. Danny shot Hawkes a look of gratitude and then went back to Lindsay. He took her in his arms once more and twisted so that his back was against the ledge. He slid down to a sitting position pulling her with him. Once she was tucked securely in his arms, he kissed her once again. "Okay babe, I brought us a little time but I can't be sure how much. Can you explain what you meant earlier?"

"After my friends died, my parents made me go see a therapist. He was considered to be one of the best grief counselors in all of Montana. It was difficult talking to him but somehow he got past my defenses and got me to open up. I had probably been seeing him for about a month or two. Each time the pain seemed to return just as much as the night it happened but he seemed to have all the statistics that said what I was going through was completely normal. Then one day, I guess it was just before the first birthday that wouldn't be celebrated any more. I was upset about that of course and blurted out one day that it didn't seem fair. I should have died with my friends. He decided that I had a death wish and warned my parents to watch me. Even though they knew me better than that, he was the one with the degree that should be trusted. Suddenly no one in my family would let me out of their sight. Dad even removed all the guns from the house, and you know how many guns he has. I didn't even know what was going on, why they were suddenly smothering me. I didn't realize anything until another session a few weeks later. He started to ask me all these strange questions based on these personal things that I had written in my journal. Finally he admitted that he had convinced my mom to bring him my journal that morning before my session. He had taken all these comments I had made in what I believed to be a private diary and over analyzed everything I had said. I felt so betrayed that I never went back to see him again. It took me months to even trust my parents after that. I know he meant well but he didn't know me. He only knew what his books had told him might happen."

Danny held her tightly, wanting to go after that therapist and hurt him for hurting Lindsay like that. That explained why Lindsay had always been so scared to open up to people; she was afraid of her words being held against her. It also made her time with Dr. Morgan Jefferson make sense. It had been mandatory for her to see the department psychologist and she had done her required time but had never really opened up to the counselor. Now her "just the facts, mam" attitude made sense to him. "I hate that you had to go through that but you can't judge all therapists by that one experience. Maybe Michelle will be different."

Lindsay shook her head. "Before she ever talked to me, she had already planted seeds of doubt in your mind about me. How is that any different? You know I would never hurt myself. No matter how much I was hurting I could never do that to you or Lucy. Is this how its going to be every time I need my space? I haven't been left by myself since I was rescued. How much of that is because Atwood is out there and how much is because of some fear of what might happen to me?"

Danny didn't have an answer for that. "I'm sorry, Linds. I never meant for you to think I don't trust you. I know you would never knowingly hurt yourself but you've been kind of out of it today from the drugs they gave you. I couldn't be sure how they might affect you and I couldn't have stood it if something happened to you because Sheldon was too busy talking to his girlfriend to do his job."

Trembling a little at the bitterness she heard there, Lindsay looked up at him. "Danny, you can't blame Hawkes. He's a great CSI but he hasn't had the same police training we've had; pulling guard duty is new for him. You can't blame him for wanting to talk to Camille; I bet he's barely been home in a week. Be honest, if you were pulling guard duty and Lucy called and wanted to talk to her daddy, you would put everything on hold to talk to her. I know you would because I've seen you stop processing evidence at the lab because she wanted Daddy to tell her a story."

Emitting a low growl, Danny rested his head on the wall. "No fair using Lucy against me. Even if I can understand it, I can't just put my anger aside. You could have been hurt. But I tell you what, I'll work on forgiving him if you'll at least consider giving Michelle a second chance. She had an obligation to warn me of the possibilities given what happened to you, it doesn't mean she's going to betray your trust the way that jerk did when you were a teenager."

Lindsay snuggled in closer in his arms. She was starting to feel the cold herself. "I'll think about it." She was pretty sure she had made Flack the same promise the night before.

"Can we go inside now? I get that you really love being out in the rain but to me it's just wet and miserable."

She nodded and allowed him to help her to her feet. As they walked toward the door, Lindsay kept her arms wrapped around his waist needed to feel him close to her. She only released him long enough for him to bend down and retrieve his gun. Rising back up, he hugged her as tightly as he could without hurting her ribs. He kissed her. "I think they may have to change that bandage on your nose. I think this one is pretty well soaked."

Lindsay nodded resigned to the fact that he was probably right. "After they do that, will you sleep next to me in the bed? Maybe it'll help the nightmares stay away."

No matter if the bed was too small to make it very comfortable for them both, he wouldn't turn her down. "I think we might both sleep better that way."


	24. Chapter 23

Author's Notes: I was actually going to jump straight to the arraignment from the last chapter but this slightly naughty but probably necessary scene popped in my head overnight and I just had to include it. I hope you like it. This may just end up being the story that never ends, lol.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 23<p>

Sheldon was waiting for them just inside the doorway. He didn't meet their eyes but simply offered the wheelchair the nurse had left with him. Lindsay wanted to protest at the need for it but the truth was that her legs were just about to give out on her. She'd barely been out of the bed in several days other than quick showers and trips to the bathroom. Now probably for close to an hour she'd been up and mobile and her legs were shaky from the exertion and for that reason alone, sank gratefully into the chair.

As soon as they pushed her onto her floor, the nurse met her with a severe expression on her face. She wasn't happy about the wet clothes, the ruined bandage, or the fact that Lindsay's skin felt icy to the touch. "As crazy as this sounds since you are already soaked, we should get you in the shower to warm you up. Then we'll get you in dry clothes and change the bandage."

Lindsay looked up at Danny, her heart doing funny little jumps in her chests. So far, Stella had been there to help with every shower. The idea of the nurse seeing her naked as she took a shower made her feel vulnerable even if the nurse was another female. But at the same time, Danny hadn't seen her naked since the day she was rescued. "Danny, will you help me in the shower?"

Danny didn't know whether to smile or cry at her request. This wasn't some simple request that meant nothing. It spoke volumes of the trust that she had in him and in their relationship. Despite their earlier talks, her desire for him to hold her and make love to her, he had known that her own insecurities over what happened to her would make it difficult for her to rush into anything that intimate for some time. That's why he had been grateful Stella had been there the last couple of days to help Lindsay with the day to day tasks of showering and changing clothes. "Yeah, I can do that."

The nurse told them to call her when she was ready for the bandage to be changed and left the room. Sheldon looked at the ground as Danny gathered a change of clothes for him and Lindsay. After he got her showered and changed, he would need to do the same for himself. Finally Sheldon spoke. "I'll be out here keeping watch while the two of you are in the bathroom but I won't be here when you get out. I called Mac while the two of you were talking on the roof. I told him what happened and how it was able to happen at all. I screwed up and I told him that it would be better if he or someone else stayed the rest of the night. He's on his way now."

Lindsay reached out to squeeze his hand. "Sheldon, you don't have to go. Nothing happened and I'm fine."

Danny set the clothes he had gathered on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know I gave you a hard time earlier, Doc. I was scared and I was mad and I took it out on you. The truth is I'm still mad but Lindsay has me working on it. You are my friend and nothing is going to change that. As Lindsay reminded me on the roof, we all can let our personal life distract us from time to time."

Sheldon shook her head. "I've let Camille distract me from my work quite a bit lately. It's one thing when it's evidence but something totally different when it puts someone I love very much in danger. I'm sorry. I know it's not enough, but I'm still figuring this whole relationship out, how to balance work and time with Camille. It's not easy and tonight I messed up big time. I don't blame you for being mad and I wouldn't have forgiven myself if anything had happened. I know we'll be okay in the end but for tonight, it's better if I just let Mac handle the protection detail."

Danny stuck his hand out and shook his friend's hand, drawing him in for a brotherly hug to show that as mad as he was, their friendship would be okay. Then Sheldon gave Lindsay a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He looked back at Danny. "Get her in that shower before she breaks her teeth from the chattering she's doing."

Danny nodded and finished taking the dry clothes into the bathroom before pushing Lindsay inside. He closed the door behind them. Lindsay was already fumbling for her t-shirt but her hands were shaking so much that the effort was too much. Stilling her hands, he kissed them and then reached for the hem of her shirt, gently tugging it over her head. "Good thing that IV site wasn't attached to any drugs this time. I don't think I could have taken it if you had pulled out another IV line." She still had the port but nothing was attached to it making moving and changing clothes easier.

As he removed her tank top, he couldn't help but stare at her bruised chest. If anything the bruises looked worse now that they were in different stages of healing. The bite mark on her breast was healing but he could still see the teeth impressions circling the nipple. He lightly brushed a finger around the edge of it, wanting nothing more than to be able to go back in time and prevent any of this from happening. Seeing that Lindsay's eyes were averted like she didn't want to see him looking her over, he kissed the top of her head and gently removed her lounge pants and panties with one gentle movement.

She gripped the arms of the wheelchair tightly as the movement caused her to remember the last time a man had undressed her. She bitterly corrected herself, Atwood wasn't a man, he was an animal. Danny noticed her fear but didn't say anything, seemingly recognizing she just needed a minute to get her emotions in check. He gave her that minute as he turned the shower on adjusting the temperature. He turned back to her and knelt in front of the wheelchair.

"Do you think you can stand in there alone or do you need me to help you?"

A couple of tears slipped down her cheeks as she hated to admit how weak she felt. "Can you help me?"

Gently cupping her face in his hands, he lifted her face so that she was looking him in the eyes. "Babe, I'm right here and I love you so much. Not only can I help you but I want to help you, whatever you need. I just want to make this as easy on you as I can. Tell me how you want me to help you."

Her eyes were liquid pools of brown as she struggled to articulate what she wanted. "Take a shower with me."

He closed his eyes not trusting what might be reflecting in them. He always loved taking showers with Lindsay simply because it usually became about more than just getting clean. His body had been aching with the need to show her just how much he loved her but he knew this was still the wrong place and time to do so. Her suggestion made sense, he'd seen how shaky her legs had been before Hawkes offered her the wheelchair. He knew how hard it would be for her to stand in the shower long enough to let the warm water work the chill out of her bones. Holding her up in the shower made sense but could he control his impulses being that close to her without any clothes separating them? He sighed deeply. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

She nodded and he caved. He stood and stripped out of his own clothes. Then he helped her stand and walk to the shower. Once he drew the curtain close, he tried to hold her up without pressing his body close to hers. He didn't want to cause a bad reaction from her nor did he trust his own reactions in such an intimate hold. But when her legs nearly gave out on her, he had no choice but to pull her close to him, allowing his body to support her full weight. He soaped up a wash cloth and gently ran it over her body, allowing the warmth of the water to do its job. With her back to him, he couldn't be sure what she was feeling but her shaking seemed to be coming under control. His own body however was going out of control much more quickly. His manhood was automatically coming to life pressing almost eagerly against her in want and need.

Had this been any other shower, he would have already turned her so that her back was against the wall with his body pressed against her front, kissing her and exploring every beautiful inch of her body, sinking into her with gentle thrusts. But this wasn't just any shower, they were in the hospital where people were waiting in the other room for them. Lindsay was still recovering and didn't need him forcing his own desires on her even if it was what she thought she wanted as well.

She twisted in his arms and he thought she was pulling away from him until she turned to face him wrapping her arms around his waist to hold him tightly. His mouth came down and found hers hungrily even as his mind was telling him he needed to put a stop to this immediately. His erection pressed against her seeking its way to the warm wet entrance it knew so well, almost desperate with the desire to explode inside her after this week of fear of not ever being able to do so again. His hands dropped the wash cloth and instead began rubbing her back before sliding around to the front to gently caress her breasts. She whimpered against his mouth and he forcibly took a step back breaking the contact between their sexes. When she whimpered again, this time with a different tone to it, he realized the first whimper had been of desire not fear. Still, one of them had to be strong. He broke the kiss and once more cupped her face.

"Lindsay, we can't do this, not here, not now. You can tell by how my body is reacting to yours that it has nothing to do with me not wanting to make love to you. I don't think I've ever wanted you as badly as I want you right now. But this isn't the way I want to do this. I want the first time I make love to you again to be in our bedroom, with the door locked against anyone coming in, and the whole night to take my time showing you just how beautiful and sexy you are. I want you to feel nothing but my love for you and that's not going to happen here with Mac about to step into that hospital room at any minute. Don't be mad at me and please don't feel like I'm rejecting you cause I'm not." Releasing her face, he took one of her hands guiding it down to cup his aching sex. "Can you feel how much I really want this?"

She nodded, her tears further wetting her face. She tilted her head upward kissing him once more. "I love you so much."

He drew her into a tight hug before reaching over to turn off the shower. "I love you too. We are going to get through this, I promise you that."

He quietly helped her out of the shower and dried her off, peppering her skin with gentle kisses every so often. Once she was dressed, he helped her sit on the toilet since the wheelchair was wet while he made quick work of pulling on his own wife beater, boxers, and sweatpants. Then he swung her up in his arms to carry her to the bedroom. She rested her head on his shoulder, already drifting off to sleep, both physically and emotionally spent.

The young woman wasn't even aware of Mac's presence in the room as Danny settled her into the bed and called for the nurse. To the nurse's surprise, Lindsay didn't stir the entire time she was changing the dressing on her nose. Replacing the oxygen mask on Lindsay's face, the RN looked at Danny critically. "Should we be worried about what happened on the roof?"

Danny shook his head. "No, she just needed to get outside for a moment. We are the ones who panicked; it was completely innocent. I think we should just feel lucky she went to the roof and not out the front door for a real walk. Thank you for your concern but really everything is okay. "

Once the nurse was out of the room and Danny had nestled his way into a comfortable spot beside his wife, Mac looked at him. "You have the same story for me?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, Mac. I don't know what all Hawkes told you but my Montana just needed to connect to nature for a moment. Or with about as must nature as you can get in New York City. I got to start remembering what a strong person she is and quit casting her in the role of victim. Sorry you had to be pulled back here tonight. You deserve the rest as much as anyone."

Mac waved off his concerns. "I'd reprimand Sheldon if I didn't think he was doing a much better job beating himself up over his mistake than I ever could. You okay? It couldn't have been easy worrying about what might have happened."

Danny shrugged; the truth was he was almost just as spent as Lindsay had been. "At times I feel like everything is going to be just fine and it's just a minor stumbling block in our lives. Then things like tonight happen and I feel like I'm walking through a land mind just hoping I don't take a wrong step and have a bomb blow up in our faces. Maybe once we get home from the hospital things will be easier. I've been trying to keep the TV away from the news; what's the latest on the hunt for Atwood?"

Mac shook his head. "Not even a hint of his whereabouts. And with this new serial killer on the loose, the news stations aren't covering his story as much."

With a frown, Danny realized just how much out of the loop he was with the happenings at the crime lab since he'd been staying at the hospital with Lindsay. He had heard Flack grumbling about a serial killer earlier that day but hadn't paid much attention. "What serial killer?"

"Someone is strangling prostitutes and dumping them in Central Park. Whoever it is seems to be targeting a specific type and is escalating. The first night there was one victim but the next time there were two. I've already heard word that there's been a body discovered earlier tonight but I'm expecting several more tonight."

"What's his type?"

"Brown hair, brown eyes." Mac saw the way Danny instinctively cut his eyes down to Lindsay. "Before you jump to conclusions, there's no evidence that it has anything to do with Atwood. We aren't ruling anything out but we can't just assume that it's him either."

Danny sighed. "What did you find out about the arraignment? I know she really wants to be there and when it goes to the actual trial, she'll have to testify but I'm torn about her being there."

"I made the call to the federal prosecutor but haven't gotten word either way. Get some sleep Danny. You've got enough to worry about without adding anything else to your plate."

Danny didn't answer and Mac realized that Danny was already sound asleep curled up next to Lindsay.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

The doctor arrived early the next morning to check on Lindsay. She had received the report of her patient's late night excursion and wanted to make sure everything was okay. Lindsay tried to hide her growing irritation at the implication everyone seemed to be making about her trip to the roof. She knew getting angry wouldn't help anything and would perhaps only increase everyone's fear that she was protesting too much. The doctor ordered another chest x-ray to make sure that her lungs still seemed to be healing and that there was no sign of pneumonia. If everything in the scan still looked good, she saw no reason why Lindsay wouldn't be released from the hospital after breakfast the next day.

Danny wanted to be able to take Lindsay home; knew that Lindsay wanted to go home. It wasn't fair to his parents to have to take care of Lucy all this time, even though he knew they didn't mind. He didn't want any more complications in Lindsay's recovery but he almost wished for a delay in the paperwork so that Lindsay would miss the arraignment without him having to be responsible for it.

It wasn't long after she returned from the X-ray that Michelle Greer came in. She smiled at Lindsay. "I heard you had a little adventure last night."

Lindsay sighed, unable to keep the irritation out of her tone this time. "I just needed some air, not the kind that was coming from a plastic tube but real outdoor atmospheric air. Why can't people just leave it alone?"

Michelle held her hands up in surrender. "Not trying to give you a hard time, I promise. I was hoping we could have a little talk again."

Danny, who was once again sitting on the bed next to Lindsay, could feel her tensing up. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Remember, I agreed to give Hawkes a second chance; you promised to do the same with Michelle. Tell her your fears and then judge her for what she does, not what someone else did. I love you and I'll support you no matter what you decide but just don't dismiss the possibility outright." He gave her a tender kiss. "Stella and I will give you two some privacy."

Once Lindsay was alone with Michelle, the counselor asked if it was okay to sit. Lindsay gave her a slight nod. Michelle took the chair next to the bed and considered Lindsay carefully. "I hear you are probably going home tomorrow. You must be excited about that."

Lindsay nodded. "Michelle, I know you want me to talk about what happened. I know I probably need to. Forget the probably, I know I need to. It's just that I've had bad experiences in the past. It hurts too much to keep going back over it and I'm afraid that any little comment I make you are going to turn it to use against me. Maybe it's not fair of me but it's how I fee."

"There's nothing wrong with being scared. Maybe it would help if I told you a little about what I try to do as a counselor. Then you can decide if it is something you can handle." She waited for Lindsay to agree before continuing. "I have two different roles here that call for different actions. As the forensic nurse, I had to report my findings to the police; you know that. I also had an obligation since you weren't able to sign consent because of the drugs you were under to share my concerns with your husband. In my role as a counselor though, I will share nothing that you say to me in confidence without your consent. I may encourage you to tell Danny things and I'll even tell him for you if you ask me too but I will not betray your trust. The only exception to that is if I feel you pose a real threat to yourself or to others. True, after my initial exam and knowing the drugs you were given, I did have a credible fear that you could be at risk for suicide. Danny disagreed and I accepted his decision based only on his belief of you until I came to the same conclusion on my own. I'm not here to analyze your thoughts and feelings but to help you work through those feelings so you go from being a rape victim to a rape survivor. I don't even know that one on one counselor is what you necessarily need. I think you might benefit better from a support group of women who have been through what you have been through. A chance to talk to women who understand your pain and can offer advice as you deal with the repercussions of your attack."

If Danny hadn't been by her side all morning, she would have though that he had told Michelle about her earlier experiences. She sighed deeply. "I don't know about a support group. I'm not very good at opening up to others."

Michelle handed her a card. "This is the group I'd like you to try. It's for women who have been raped in a nontraditional way like you were. I think you'd be comfortable with the ladies in the group. Come to a meeting and listen. You don't have to say a word if you don't want to. If you find it helpful, great; if not, we'll try something else. Give it some thought."

Lindsay accepted the card. "I'll consider it."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

The next day, the doctor kept to her word and agreed to release Lindsay after breakfast was over. Much to Danny's chagrin, the judge approved that Lindsay only could carry a concealed pistol for protection and Lindsay was as determined as ever to attend the arraignment. Stella had stopped by Danny's and Lindsay's apartment on her way to the hospital to pick out an outfit that would be comfortable yet dressy enough for Lindsay to wear to court and to pick up the injured woman's back-up piece. By the time the paperwork had been completed and Lindsay was dressed it was just after 11:30. The arraignment was scheduled for 2.

It was decided that Mac and Stella would accompany the young couple to the arraignment. Mac pulled the Avalanche up to the hospital entrance as the nurse wheeled Lindsay out. The young woman was clutching her cow-shaped pillow tightly against her chest both for the pain and the fear of being back in the "real world." Danny pulled the seatbelt over her shoulder trapping the pillow between the belt and Lindsay's chest before climbing in the back seat with her. He clutched her hand protectively the entire drive.

Mac took them to lunch at a Chinese buffet first but Lindsay only half picked at her sweet and sour chicken. After everyone was through with the main meal, Stella insisted that they each had to eat at least one fortune cookie. Lindsay had to give a wry smile when she read hers.

_You are captain of your own destiny._

After lunch was over, Mac drove the rest of the way to the courthouse. All too soon, the four friends were settled in the courtroom. Danny sat next to Lindsay, who curled up as closely as she could, relying on the comfort and strength he offered. When the door opened and the three defendants were brought in, Lindsay stiffened and almost buried her head in Danny's shoulder. Her breathing quickened and Danny tightened his hold.

"You okay? It's not too late to get out of here." Danny offered. Lindsay shook her head, looking up. She wasn't okay but she wasn't leaving either.

The bailiff stepped forward. "All rise for the Honorable Judge Geoffrey Stanten." They stood as the judge came in and took his place at the bench. He gave them permission to sit and looked to the bailiff who explained the charges. He looked at the defense lawyer. "How do your clients plead?"

"Not guilty your honor."

"Where does the prosecution stand on bail?"

"Your honor, as you can see we are looking at about 50 counts of heinous murder. Due to the horrific nature of the crimes, we are asking that the defendants be remanded until trial."

"Defense?"

"Your honor, we have a motion to have the federal charges dismissed. The sole reason federal charges were brought forward was in an attempt to be able to circumvent the fact that the state of New York does not offer a death penalty."

The prosecutor shook his head. "The charges clearly fall into the realm of a federal nature."

"Motioned denied. Does the defense have anything else?"

"Yes your honor. We also have a motion that the charges are dismissed because my clients were arrested due to entrapment by the New York Police Department."

Mac's jaw was rocking at the mere mention that his people could have done something wrong. The federal prosecutor looked back in the galley as if looking for Mac. His eyes lit up when he saw the head of the crime lab sitting there. "Your honor, Detective Mac Taylor of the New York Crime Lab is present in the courtroom. He was in charge of the operation that resulted in the arrest of the suspects. Permission to call him to the stand to answer to these charges."

"Detective Taylor, please step forward."

The bailiff swore him in and Mac took witness stand. The prosecutor stepped forward. "Detective Taylor, can you please describe for the court how the defendants came to be arrested."

"We discovered that our main suspect in a recent string of robberies had previously robbed the same banks in the same order. Using that information we determined that the next bank to be robbed would be Standard Bank. We developed a plan to remove all employees and civilians and replace them with undercover officers."

"So you had every belief they already intended to rob that particular bank. Did you or any of your officers tell them to commit the robbery?"

"No, nor did the idea of robbing the bank come from us either."

The prosecutor turned to the judge. "There you have it, your honor. None of the criteria for entrapment hold true."

The defense attorney arose. "Detective Taylor, you testified that the defendants already planned to rob the bank. How could you be certain when they would do so?"

Mac didn't miss a beat. "We had the media leak information that would make the day of the arrest the most opportune time for the defendants to commit the crime. Providing an opportunity for a suspected criminal to commit a crime does not fall under entrapment."

"Is it true that you believed one of your own officers was being held hostage by the robbers? Did that motivate you to speed up the time table?"

Lindsay could feel one of the defendants watching her intently during Mac's testimony. It was the man who had interrupted Atwood in his attempt to rape her in the room. The knowing grin on his face made her skin crawl. The sweet and sour chicken she'd picked at earlier threatened to come back up. Sensing she was about to throw up, she whispered to Danny. "I've got to go to the bathroom. I'll be back."

She stood rushing out of the row. Danny started to follow but Stella stopped him. He wouldn't be able to go into the bathroom and she could. As Stella entered the bathroom behind Lindsay, she could hear the younger woman throwing up in one of the stalls. "Kiddo, you okay?"

She heard the door open behind her and turned, half expecting Danny to have followed anyway. Before she could see who had entered, a heavy objected struck her head, knocking her out. She hit the floor silently. John Atwood locked the bathroom door and waited for Lindsay to emerge from the stall.


	25. Chapter 24

Author's Note: I tried to post this much earlier this evening but for some reason the site wasn't cooprerating. I'll explain more at the end.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 24<p>

Lindsay Messer's worst nightmare was coming true. No sooner had she opened the stall door of the bathroom then she felt herself being shoved back into the stall against the wall. Her feet were dangling off the floor and John Atwood's hands were closed around her throat, cutting off her oxygen supply. Dimly, she wondered where Stella was; she had heard her friend's voice just a moment ago. Everything was so surreal she wondered if this was reality or if seeing her former captors had triggered a flashback.

Either way darkness was nibbling at her consciousness. Her back-up revolver was strapped to her ankle out of reach in her current position. She had to do something fast or she would black out completely. She clawed at his hands trying to break his grasp but he was too strong for her. She flailed her feet kicking out at him hoping to catch him in the groin. Instead she caught him in the upper thigh.

Outraged, he threw her bodily out of the stall against the far wall. Her right hip struck the sink painfully before she slid to the floor. For a couple of minutes thoughts of escape hat to take a backseat to just getting enough oxygen into her already battered lungs. She was vaguely aware that Stella was lying on the floor not ten feet away, obviously unconscious.

"I was going to just kill you, Copper; payback for what you cost me. I've been practicing how I was going to do it. My hands closing around those whores' necks, seeing the life drain from their bodies. You don't know how much constraint it took not to screw them either before or after they were dead. I wanted to; killing them turned me on more than hurting you did. But I couldn't take any chances on the police figuring out it was me and what I had planed for you. I knew you'd be here. Knew a Copper like you would want to see justice served. Couldn't believe it was so easy to get past security. It'll make killing you so much sweeter."

Lindsay, still struggling to breathe, tried drawing her body up in a ball as if in pain. Though she couldn't deny the pain was great, the move was more an attempt to reach for her back-up revolver. Her leg protested at the maneuver as her hip was already sore and stiffening from hitting the sink. She watched as he came closer to her, holding a plunger in his hand. He was lightly striking it against the palm of his other hand like it was a baton or a night stick. Her stomach turned a flip. He smiled.

"I can't do that to you. Thought killing you would be enough but it's not. I want to make you beg for death before I'm through with you."

He knelt down forcing her legs down and apart preventing her from reaching her gun. He tapped the end of the plunger handle against her heavily bandaged nose. "I know what you are thinking. You think I'm going to use this as a substitute for my little friend I tried to introduce you to the other day. I guess it would work." He tossed it aside, sending it skittering across the room. "I changed my mind. It's because of you that my son is dead. I want to feel you rip open when I plunge myself deep inside you."

Lindsay shook her head, trying to ignore the image his words brought to mind. "I had nothing to do with what your son did. He either killed himself because he couldn't live with being the man you turned him into or because he couldn't live with the thought of the same thing that happened to you in prison happening to him. That's not my fault. You can't blame me for your or his actions."

"I can blame you for anything I want to. I'm the one in control here, Copper." He kissed her hungrily. She squirmed beneath him but it was only partly because of the revulsion she felt by his kiss. It was also a good opportunity for her to awkwardly move into a position to once again try to retrieve her gun. She blanked out the pain, the humiliation of his hands groping her sensitive body and focused solely on her goal. Her hand closed around the butt of the gun and eased it from her ankle holster just as he broke the kiss. His hands were going for the waistband of her slacks, a wolfish grin on his face.

She cocked the pistol and drew it level, aiming for between his eyes. "You haven't been in control since the moment that guard raped you."

He actually laughed at the sight of the gun pointed at him. "Copper thinks she's all tough now that she's got a gun. Go ahead, pull the trigger. I know you want to. You'll see that it's actually quite a nice thrill knowing that you hold the fate of a person's life in your hands. It won't make things better though. Even dead I can still control you. Ole Danny will try to touch you and it'll be my face you see."

The gun wavered in her hands just a little, her finger tightening on the trigger. His eyes widened in surprise as the shot was fired, the sound reverberating through the small enclosure.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"Is it true that you believed one of your own officers was being held hostage by the robbers? Did that motivate you to speed up the time table?"

Danny could feel himself getting angry as the defense attorney tried every tactic he could think of to get his clients off. But the defense attorney wasn't the sole source of his anger though; the leer that one of the defendants was giving Lindsay made him want to jump over the small gate that separated the defendants from the galley and pound his face in. He knew it was making Lindsay uncomfortable and shifted trying to make himself a barrier between his wife and the men who had hurt her.

Abruptly, she whispered to Danny. "I've got to go to the bathroom. I'll be back."

As she stood pushing past him, he started to stand and follow her. The federal court building should be safe but he didn't want to take any chances. Stella put a hand on his shoulder stopping him. Indicating she would follow Lindsay, Stella left the courtroom just about a minute after Lindsay.

Danny could barely concentrate on what Mac was saying on the stand. He knew Mac would have no trouble defending their actions in the bust. He was too worried about Lindsay. Worried that being here had been too hard on her but proud that she had followed through on he promise to leave out if it got to be too much for her. From the moment the defendants came in, she had started to tense up. He thought he would have to be the one to encourage her to step out.

Still he wanted to follow her and check on her. He knew Stella could take care of her but couldn't help the worrying. For several more minutes he kept his seat, forcing himself to remember his earlier insight that he had to quit treating her like a victim. A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts making him look up. Mac was staring down at him, a look of concern on his face. Danny sighed. Maybe he was treating Lindsay like a victim but he couldn't ignore the hollow ache in the pit of his stomach that said something was wrong.

"I gotta check on her, Mac."

His friend and boss nodded and the two men headed for the door. Outside the room, Danny spotted a bailiff sitting at a desk. He approached. "Excuse me, can you tell me where the nearest ladies' restroom is?"

The guard gave him a critical look. "I would think the men's restroom would be more appropriate for you."

Danny was just about to reply with a biting retort when Mac stepped in. "We're looking for two friends who left the courtroom just a moment ago. One of the ladies was a bit upset and was in search of the restroom. We need to find them. Perhaps you saw them."

The guard nodded. "Petite woman with brown hair, nose all splinted up? Followed by a tall curly haired brunette? I saw them." Before he could give them directions, the muffled sound of a gunshot came from down the hall. The guard whirled around, reaching for his radio. "We have a shot fired on the second floor. Requesting back-up. Gentlemen, you need to get back inside the courtroom now. That's where everyone will need to stay until we have investigated this incident."

"Like hell I'm going anywhere. My wife could be in danger. I'm not going anywhere until I'm sure that she's safe."

Mac flashed his badge. "NYPD. We have jurisdiction until Federal Marshals arrive. What's down that hallway?"

The bailiff didn't look happy. "A couple of offices and the public restrooms."

"Lindsay."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"You missed." Atwood sneered, his ears ringing from their close proximity to the gunshot.

Lindsay shook her head, her aim once more directly on him. "I wasn't aiming at you. I fired that shot to bring reinforcements. You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning; if you do not have one or can't afford one, one will be provided for you. Get off me." She cocked the gun once more but Atwood didn't move.

Atwood laughed. "I'm shaking in my boots, Bitch. What are you going to do if I don't? Shoot me? Go ahead and make my day."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? You want me to do what you are too big of a coward to do yourself. I feel sorry for your son. He spent years wanting to make you proud of him, scared that you would always think he was soft and wimpy. He took me hostage because he knew I was a cop and wanted to be caught. He just wanted someone else to do it for him. Too bad he never realized he was just like his father."

Atwood spit in her face, his sputum hitting her in the cheek like a physical blow. "Don't talk about my son. You didn't know him."

"I know he took the easy way out. Rather than take a chance of living through the hell you described prison to be, he ended his life. But as cowardly as that was, at least he had the guts to do the deed himself. Unlike his old man. Don't you think I realize what you are doing? You want me to kill you because you can't face what jail might be like a second time but you don't have the guts to kill yourself. They call it suicide by cop. If you want to die, you'll have to figure out another way. I won't be your weapon."

She could hear people at the bathroom door, trying to get it open. Help would be there any second and the nightmare would be over. She just had to keep him at bay a little longer.

"Bitch." With a roar of anger mixed with pain, he leaned forward wrapping his arms around her throat once more, squeezing the life out of her. Her brain screamed at her to pull the trigger, to end his life in order to save her own. Her finger on the trigger was shaking and darkness once more threatened to close in on her.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

The bathroom door refused to open. Danny knew it had to be locked but he couldn't let that stop him from getting to Lindsay. He shoved his shoulder at the door but it refused to budge. He looked at Mac almost helpless. The minutes that had passed since the first gunshot had seemed like an eternity. SWAT officers had arrived quickly; word of gunshots in a federal building in New York City had a tendency of bring help in fast. They had allowed both Danny and Mac to help but only after handing them both bullet proof vests to wear.

"Let's try it together on three." Mac offered. The two men backed up against the wall so they could get a running start. The older man did a silent countdown and they rushed the door, hoping to break it open. Still no luck.

"We got the battering ram." A couple of SWAT officers ran up to the bathroom door carrying a black device that would guarantee their entry into the small space. Before they could apply the ram to the doorframe, a second shot rang out from within. Danny was ready to punch the wall in frustration of not knowing what was happening. As soon as the SWAT officers had the door open, he pushed past them thinking only of getting to Lindsay.

He saw Stella unconscious on the floor but left her for Mac to take care of once he saw Lindsay laying on the floor under the sink, gun still in her hand. Atwood was sprawled half on her, his hand clutching his bleeding shoulder. He kept screaming the word "Bitch!" at her.

Danny pulled the rapist/murderer off her and knelt beside her, afraid of what he might find. He could already see the bruises forming around her neck and her eyes were half-closed. He eased the gun out of her hand and slid it out of the way. Tenderly caressing her cheek wiping away what looked to be spit from her soft skin, he gently called her name. Her head turned toward him and a thin smile crossed her lips.

"Danny?" Her voice was once again raspy but it was the most beautiful sound he could hope to hear.

"I'm right here, Babe. The ambulance will be here in a minute. Just stay with me."

"No," she whimpered softly. "No more hospital. I'm okay." She struggled to sit up, groaning with pain in the effort. He wanted to make her lie still at the same time he wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. His need to hold her won out and he gathered her gently in his arms, hugging her as tightly as he could without hurting her worse.

"Your throat tells a different story, Lindsay. We need to at least get you checked out. I was so scared when I heard that shot. Both shots actually. Did he…did he hurt you?"

Lindsay clung to Danny as if he were her lifeline shuddering at the implication of what he was really asking her. She shook her head. "Just a couple more bruises. Danny, Stella?"

He glanced back to where Mac was kneeling by their friend. He could see that the female was starting to stir. "She's waking up. I think she'll be okay. We'll get you both checked out."

"Bitch, you should have killed me when you could." Atwood was writhing from pain from the shoulder wound.

Danny wanted to pick up the gun he'd taken out of Lindsay's hands and finish the job that Atwood so apparently wanted. But instead, he continued to cling to his wife, content to know that she was alive and relatively unharmed. Nothing else seemed to matter right then.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI :NY -

Author's Note: I know several people have expressed a desire to see Atwood dead. While I somewhat alluded to Lindsay's reasons for not killing him but it will also be explored in the next chapter. I hope no one is terribly disappointed that he lives to see another day. Reviews are loved and appreciated.


	26. Chapter 25

Author's Notes: Today was the first day of statewide testing for my students. These are the tests that determine the rankings of the schools and school districts for the next year. I think I'd rather take the tests instead of having to walk around monitoring the students as they take the tests. My brain feels mushy so I hope this came out like it should. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own them.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 25<p>

As soon as the SWAT team had forced the door open, Danny burst through going straight for Lindsay. Mac was right on his heels stopping to check on Stella. Stella Bonasera was lying face down on the ground, a trickle of blood coming from a rapidly rising goose egg on her temple. He gently rolled her over so he could get a better idea of her injuries. She groaned at his touch and her eyes fluttered as consciousness tried to return. He called for medics and then looked to where Danny was almost desperately yet at the same time tenderly crushing Lindsay to his chest. Atwood was on the floor beside them clutching his bleeding shoulder.

Mac knew what an excellent shot Lindsay was, even under pressure. Her kill shot to Shane Casey while he held Lucy in his arms testified to that. The fact that Atwood was alive was by design not by accident. How she did it, he didn't know. Had she aimed just a little bit more to the right, Atwood would be waiting for someone from the ME's office to arrive instead of paramedics.

It was obvious from the bruises hat he could already see from his position across the room that her life had been in jeopardy. Training dictated for officers to take the kill shot when a life was in danger. Nobody would have questioned her or thought twice if she had killed Atwood; probably everyone who knew he would have congratulated her for it. So why was Atwood still alive?

"What happened?" Stella mumbled with a groan.

"Atwood happened. Relax, Lindsay is okay. Danny has her."

Rescue crews and paramedics began to arrive with equipment and stretchers. Logically, Mac knew the triage order would be Atwood, Stella, then Lindsay but personally he wanted Atwood at the bottom of the list.

A medic he recognized from FDNY knelt beside him, penlight in hand. As he checked Stella's pupils, he explained to Mac, "Only one ambulance is on scene but two more are on the way. I imagine your suspect will be transported to University since they have a prison ward. Can I assume you'll want the ladies to go to a different hospital?"

Mac nodded. "Assume away. Queen of Mercy's the best choice even though its not the closest. Lindsay was just released from there; they'll have her records."

The medic nodded. "Messer's wife was the officer taken in the bank heist, wasn't she? Damn, that family can't catch a break, can they?"

Mac looked over to where the couple seemed oblivious to the bustle of activity around them. His mouth thinned to a hard line. "Hopefully now they can."

On the other side of the bathroom, another fire department medic knelt beside the young couple. He touched Danny's shoulder. "Danny, let me check her out."

Startled, Danny glanced at him. He hadn't even heard them come in. His sole focus had been on cradling Lindsay against him, feeling her heart pounding erratically with fear at first, but gradually slowing to a more regular rhythm as she realized she truly was safe.

He loosened his hold on Lindsay who immediately whimpered and tightened her own already tight embrace. He kissed her forehead and looked into her frightened eyes. "It's okay, Linds; I'm right here. Let Simon take a look at you."

Reluctantly she released her hold, groaning a little at the pain. As she had already told Danny, the new damage was mostly bruises, she could almost feel his hands still tight against her throat and her hip throbbed from its bashing against the sink. New injuries were minor but her previous injuries were also protesting their rough treatment.

As Simon gently probed the bruises around her neck, Lindsay had to strongly fight the urge to cower away. While she welcomed – no, craved – Danny's touch, other men touching her even in a harmless non-intimate way was almost too much for her. When he ran his hands down her sides checking her ribs, she couldn't help but dig her nails into Danny's arm. Immediately, Danny's mouth was at her ear whispering quiet reassurances.

The medic could also tell he was making her uneasy and hated that it was necessary. He tried to keep his touching to only he minimum he had to do and as non-threatening as he could make it. When his hands cupped her hips rocking them gently to check the pelvic bones, Lindsay yelped and jerked as he had hit her with an electric shock. He pulled away, apologizing.

"Sorry, what happened there?"

For a moment, Lindsay couldn't answer as she rode out the pain. When she could finally find her voice again, she tried to keep her answer light so she didn't alarm Danny.

"Human vs. sink collision. I think the sink won."

Simon smiled. If she could still make jokes after all she'd been through, she'd be okay. "They usually do. Does it feel broken or bruised? You're so tiny you can't have much padding there."

Danny noticed two paramedics putting Atwood on the stretcher and preparing him for transport. He frowned, tuning out his wife's response. "No way does he get transported first. He can lay here and bleed to death first."

Though he secretly agreed with him, Simon explained. "He's the worst of the injured. He's the priority case. Second ambulances should be pulling up."

Danny still wasn't happy. "He's alive right now- that's more than he deserves." He raised his voice so that the marshal who was getting ready to leave with Atwood could hear him "Watch him carefully. He's already escaped once killing a cop in the process."

"Don't worry, we have ways of making sure he doesn't go anywhere." There was a not so thinly veiled threat in the marshal's tone.

"Cap him in both knees for all I care. Or better yet, several feet higher between both legs would suit me perfectly." Lindsay shuddered hard at his words and he apologetically placed another kiss above her ear. "He's not going to hurt you ever again, Babe."

Two more stretcher-laden paramedic crews arrived as the initial crew left with the prisoner/patient. Danny was pretty certain Mac would ride with Stella, and there was no way in hell he was letting Lindsay out of his sight again. He didn't know what they would do about the Avalanche valet parked in the garage across the street but figured someone from the lab could retrieve it later.

"All right, Babe. We're going to get you to the hospital now."

"No." Lindsay once more clung to him desperately. "Please don't make me go in the ambulance. I won't protest about getting checked out at the hospital but please don't make me take the ambulance there."

Danny hated to refuse any request she had but didn't want to risk hurting her further. He wasn't sure what it was about the ambulance that she was fighting but it obviously bothered her a lot. He looked to Simon raising an questioning eyebrow. The medic looked to Lindsay. "Your breathing is a little ragged but your color looks good. My biggest concern is your hip. Without an x-ray, there's no way to know if it's fractured or no, although I suspect its just a really bad bruise. Do you think you could put weight on it?"

If it got her out of the ambulance ride, she'd dance a jig on it, Lindsay thought but didn't say out loud. She looked at Danny. "I may have to lean on you."

Danny smiled. "Wouldn't have it any other way. Let me get the valet slip from Mac. I'm sue he'll ride in with Stella." He kissed her again and walked over to Mac. Stella was being transferred to a stretcher, a piece of gauze covering the cut. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "How you doin'?"

"I'm embarrassed. I got myself clocked when I was suppose to protect Lindsay. I'm sorry, Danny. Is she okay?"

"Okay enough that she'd prefer I drive her to the hospital instead of taking the ambulance. You aren't the first he's gotten the jump on. I'm just glad neither of you were seriously injured." He looked at Mac. "You riding with her?"

"No, I'm fine." Stella protested at the same time Mac answered.

"Yes, I am." He handed over the slip and nodded toward Lindsay. "Watch her closely. She may be okay right now but this is all going to hit her pretty soon and I'm not talking about physical injuries. "You taking Lindsay back to Queen of Mercy?"

Danny nodded realizing Mac was ensuring they went to the same hospital. Pocketing the keys he returned to Lindsay's side. He knew Mac was right about Lindsay. He could see the explosion building up inside her. It was one of the reasons he wasn't fighting the ambulance issue. If she broke down, it would be better if he was the only audience.

Lindsay hissed in pain as Danny helped her to stand but the fact that she could put weight on it seemed to suggest it was just bruised.

Danny kept his arm firmly around her and together they made their way out of the bathroom and toward the elevator. She was limping painfully and Danny felt the pain just as much as she did with each step. Once in the elevator, he swung her up in his arms, cradling her like he used to cradle Lucy when she was a baby. She leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled at him. "You are going to throw your back out carrying me around like this."

"It wouldn't hurt as much as it does right now seeing you in so much pain and not doing anything about it. Besides, I can cart Lucy around in my arms all day long and you don't weigh much more than she does. Don't worry about me."

Lindsay leaned forward and kissed him. "You say the sweetest things. Is Stella really going to be okay? I feel so bad that she came all this way to check on me and ended up getting hurt because of me."

Danny frowned. "Stop it right there, Babe. Stella came back here because she was worried about you and needed to see for herself that you were okay. She was here today and followed you into that bathroom because she cares about your safety. But she wasn't hurt because of you. Don't blame yourself for any of that. That was all Atwood. You start talking all that nonsense around her and you know she's going to kick your rear end, bruises and all, and this time I might just help her."

The idea of Stella Bonasera coming after her because she was taking the blame for her injury created such a mental picture that Lindsay couldn't help but laugh despite the pain it caused in her ribs. Danny watched her, happy to hear her laugh in spite of all that she'd been through, but still a little concerned because he could hear the hint of hysteria in the laugh. With everything she'd been through, he couldn't blame her for giving into the shock; he just hoped he could delay it until they had reached the safety of the Avalanche. He held her closer, letting her bury her head in his shoulder.

Once the elevator opened, he stepped from the car and headed to the front door. After handing a guard the valet slip, Danny sat down in a nearby chair still holding Lindsay in his lap. Neither person spoke as they waited for the truck to pull around; Lindsay, because she was struggling not to completely lose her composure and Danny, because he was afraid of causing her to further break down.

As soon as the black Avalanche came into view, Danny stood with Lindsay and carried her out to the vehicle. The guard opened the passenger door for him and Danny set Lindsay down in the seat. He reached in the back seat for her pillow pet tucking it once more between her sore ribs and the seatbelt. Once she was strapped in, he looked her in the eyes. "You okay?"

She nodded. She could feel something welling up in her that she couldn't describe but she didn't say anything about it. As he started to close the door, she reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him and draw him closer. He leaned in, giving her a tender kiss and then moved her seat so that it reclined enough for her to be in a comfortable position. "Close your eyes, Babe. Give yourself permission to take a cat nap while I'm driving."

Lindsay obediently closed her eyes but sleep wouldn't come. Instead she kept seeing Atwood's face laughing at her and taunting her. She could almost feel the gun in her hand, the power she held over whether or not he lived or died. She had told him that she wasn't going to kill him because it was what he wanted and she wouldn't be his weapon. Was that the real reason though? Had there been a darker motive to her actions? Her pillow began to shake as she dissolved into silent sobs.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Danny saw her sudden distress. The breakdown he'd feared had hit her. He swore under his breath and looked for a place to pull off. Finding a parking lot, he whipped the vehicle in and parked. Knowing he couldn't hold her like he wanted to and felt she needed him to from the driver's seat, he climbed out and ran around to her side. Unfastening her seat belt, he drew her close, holding her as she sobbed.

"I'm such a horrible person. How can you stand to be around me?" Lindsay managed to ask between sobs.

Her words cut him to the core. How could she for even one second think she was a horrible person? "Babe, I love you so much. You are the strongest, most wonderful person I've ever met. I'm the one who's lucky to have you. Don't you ever doubt it."

"I should have killed him. He was threatening my life and I should have killed him but I didn't. I couldn't do it. I'm no better than he is."

It both hurt and angered him to hear her say that. How could she seriously think that? He hoped and prayed that it was just the trauma of the day playing havoc with her emotions and that she seriously didn't doubt her conscience. "Babe, I don't know what to say. Part of me wants to be so angry at you that you risked your own safety by not killing him, but the other part of me is so proud that you found the strength to take a step back from what he did to you and not make that fatal shot. Either way, I don't see how you could come close to comparing yourself to him."

"Back home on the farm, we would put an animal down if we thought it was going to suffer. If it was sick and injured and was just going to know pain, we made sure to end its suffering quickly and painlessly." She tried to explain around her sobs. She could tell Danny didn't understand. She tried to take a deep, steadying breath but the pain in her ribs at the movement defeated the purpose of it. "I didn't do that for him. I didn't kill him because death was too good for him. Death was too easy and too quick and I wanted him to suffer. I want him to sit in that jail cell for how every long scared of what each day could bring for him. I know how scared he is of going back to jail and I want him feeling that fear, that same fear I felt at his hands. I have more compassion for the animals on the farm than I showed a human being today. Danny, how can I condemn him for what he did to me and the others when I'm sentencing him to the same thing?"

Danny's heart was hammering in his chest and he struggled for the words that would convince her how wrong she really was. "You know I'm a city boy. I don't get any of what it was like to grow up on a farm. But I'm sure there's a pretty big difference between those animals you grew up with and that animal that hurt you. They didn't make a conscious decision to put themselves in a position where someone had to choose a quick and easy or long and painful death. Atwood did. He's the one who choose to hurt people. He chose to rape you and threaten your life. You are right about one thing, as much as I would love to see him dead right now, death would have been too good for him but that's the choice he made when he became the monster he became. The fact that you are agonizing over the decision you made shows that you are so much better than he could ever wish to be. Do you think he feels any regret for what he did? No, of course he doesn't because there's nothing human left about him. Nobody would have blamed you if you had killed him but the fact that you chose to let him live shows just how strong you really are."

Danny ended his speech by kissing away her tears. He hoped he'd gotten through to her, couldn't stand the doubt and the hopelessness that he saw reflected in her sad brown eyes. He pressed her against his body willing her to trust what he was telling her until she could believe it herself.

"But I…"

He shook his head. "No buts. Maybe part of you allowed him to live because you want to see him pay for his crimes but that doesn't make you a bad person; it makes you human. You aren't setting out to hurt him; you are simply making sure he reaps the consequences for his own actions. He chose the road he's on and if he doesn't like the route it's taken then he has no one to blame but himself. Don't you dare take that blame on yourself because you have done absolutely nothing wrong." He had thought he hated Atwood the moment he heard from Michelle Greer exactly what he had done to Lindsay during her captivity. That hatred paled in comparison to what he felt right then. How dare that monster make Lindsay doubt her goodness. If he were here right then, Danny didn't trust himself to know what he would do.

He knew she wasn't completely convinced but the fight had drained out of her like a leaking balloon. He settled her back on the seat and refastened her seatbelt. He kissed her tenderly, hoping that maybe if her words hadn't fully convinced her, then the love and intensity of his kiss would. He broke the kiss.

"I know this isn't going to go away just because I say it should. I'm not that ego-centric. I know I keep saying it but it's partly because I don't know what else to say and partly because I think it's the truth. We are going to get through this. I'm going to make sure you get through this. I love you more than anything. I won't let you be less than okay with this. For now, though, I need to get you to the hospital before Mac sends out a search party. Ready?"

Lindsay nodded tiredly, closing her eyes once again. With a sigh, Danny returned to the driver's seat and drove without another word to the hospital.


	27. Chapter 26

Author's Notes: Kind of an angst chapter as emotions about recent events come out in several different discussions. Hope you like it. Reviews are always welcomed.

Disclaimer: Still don't own.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 26<p>

Flack was waiting just outside the Emergency Room entrance when Danny pulled up. He approached the passenger side door as Danny got out and came around. "Mac called and told me what happened. He said you were bringing in Lindsay on your own. Figured I'd wait out here to take care of the truck. Somehow I doubted you wanted to deal with hospital security about leaving the Avalanche blocking the entrance."

Danny smiled his thanks, handing him the keys. Flack indicated a now sleeping Lindsay. "How is she?"

Danny shrugged. "Physically not much worse but psychologically? I don't know, man; she's all over the place emotionally and I don't know how to make it better for her."

Flack gave him a look of disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I don't even recognize the Danny Messer I've seen the last couple of days. The Danny I know would have gone off half cocked a million different times. Sure you've snapped a few times but never with Lindsay. With her, you've been this Zen Master or something. Patient, calm, the voice of reason she needs right now. You gotta know that's helping her. I know our focus has been on Linds and we tend to forget you're hurting in all this as well but I'm proud of you, man. Don't sell yourself short."

"It's not enough. She's still hurting. No matter how calm I may act around her, how patient I may be, it doesn't take away what that bastard did to her."

"No, nothing will take it away but I've seen the way she clings to you. You are what's holding her together right now. She may not recoil from those of us she knows like she does strangers but it's you she seeks out. Now get her in there so they can check her out. You want me to bring her bag in once I park?"

Danny nodded. Carefully, trying not to wake her, Danny gathered her in his arms. Much like Flack had suggested, her arms tighten around him seemingly recognizing his touch even in her sleep. Danny Messer, a Zen Master? He had to laugh at Flack's image. He was as far from a Zen Master as anyone could be. Any calm he might be able to display in front of Lindsay was just a cover over the emotional upheaval he felt deep inside. He couldn't let Lindsay see that part of him; it would scare and upset her too much.

Dr. Maddox seemed to be waiting for him as soon as he walked in. Danny was glad he was on call since Lindsay knew him and wouldn't be as uncomfortable with him. The ER doctor led them to a curtained cubicle. From the other side of the curtain, he could hear Stella's unmistakable voice uttering what he could only imagine were Greek curses at someone. He wondered if it was Mac or a nurse on the receiving end.

"You're friends told me you were bringing her in. Is she asleep or unconscious?"

"Asleep. She sort of had an anxiety attack on the ride over. I think it wore her out."

Dr. Maddox gave her a cursory glance. "After everything she's been through, I'm surprised her whole life isn't just one big anxiety attack. Was this the same person who attacked her before?" Danny nodded. Dr. Maddox asked the next question as gently as he could "Do I need to call Michelle in?"

Fortunately Danny had already placed her tenderly on the bed because the doctor's words sent him reeling for a nearby chair. Could Atwood have rape her again? Sure, at his awkward question at the scene, Lindsay had stated she was only bruised but what if she hadn't understood what he was really asking, or worse deliberately ignored the true implication of what he was asking? He had accepted her denial with relief and without question Her clothes were rumpled but not completely messed up, but could he have made another attempt? Finally he looked up, answering honestly. "I don't know."

"He didn't rape me." Lindsay whispered from the bed, having awoken at Dr. Maddox's question. Realizing she had lied those same words before, she continued. "He was going to but once I pulled the gun on him, he didn't have a chance to carry out his threat."

Danny nodded even though the doctor didn't look convinced. Standing, Danny returned to the bedside giving her hand a squeeze. "Okay, but how about to just talk to her? Being so close to him again had to have brought back some painful memories. I know you are still on the fence about counseling but maybe it would help you wrap your mind around how things played out."

Lindsay shook her head. "I just want them to check me out so I can go home. That's all I really want right now. Maybe later, I'll talk to her but just not now, okay?"

Danny nodded, careful not to let her see any sign of disapproval. Dr. Maddox stepped forward. "Okay, Mrs. Messer, let's talk about your physical injuries then. I see the bruises around your neck indicating a strangulation attempt but you appear to be breathing okay. How are the ribs?"

"Painfully making their presence known. I don't think any more damage was done to them but it hurts enough that I won't protest about taking something for pain."

Danny realized just how torturous the pain must be. Usually he had to about force any kind of pain pill on her. For her to almost come out and ask for something must mean she was in agonizing pain. "Her hip is hurt. The medic on the scene couldn't be sure if it was fractured or not."

Dr. Maddox nodded. "I'm going to have to touch your hips to check them. It's probably going to hurt and I know it makes you uncomfortable so I'll be as gentle and quick as I can."

Lindsay practically bit through her tongue to keep from screaming out in pain as the ER doctor rocked her hips. Danny saw her get pale and wanted to push the doctor away to keep him from hurting her. As quickly as he could, Dr. Maddox released her. "Describe that pain for me. Was it the movement that hurt or my actual touch?"

"Your touch." Lindsay practically panted. Dr. Maddox smiled.

"We'll see if we can't do something for that pain. I'll order an x-ray to be on the safe side but I think its just a very bad bruise. Maybe we can even do a two-for-one special and let your friend next door go at the same time to get a scan of her head. That way you wouldn't have to feel so alone without your husband." He looked at Danny. "I'm going to put in orders that she should have only female techs at all times. I know the hallucinogenic drugs are out of her system but no sense causing her unnecessary trauma."

"Thanks, Doc." Danny shook his hand.

Dr. Maddox turned back to Lindsay. "I'll have a nurse come in and help you into a gown. They'll be in shortly for that x-ray."

"Doctor?" Lindsay asked tentatively. "I will be able to go home, won't I? You won't admit me?"

Dr. Maddox sighed. "I'm not going to make promises I might have to break. If everything looks good on the x-ray I see no reason to keep you- provided you promise to go directly home and not make any detours that land you back here again. But if there is a fracture, I'll have to admit you. But there's no sense worrying about that right now. Let's see what we are dealing with first and then decide."

He left the cubicle and a few minutes later a nurse came in to give Lindsay a shot for the pain and then to help her out of her clothes into a hospital gown. Lindsay kept her eyes averted while changing clothes but Danny could see her tearing up. Once the nurse was gone, he sat on the bed and pulled her to him. Her silent tears worried him as much as her earlier heart wrenching sobs had.

"Talk to me, Babe. What's wrong?"

"I'm tired of this place. I just want to go home. I keep thinking about the last time I was there and it seems like it was so long ago. I was in such a hurry to be able to spend the day with Lucy; I can't remember if I even made the beds or cleaned away the breakfast dishes before we left. I want to fall asleep in our bed with your arms wrapped around me and Lucy's sweet little snores coming from the baby monitor."

"I want that too, more than you can know. You heard him, Baby; you'll more than likely go home in an hour or so. Even if he does keep you overnight, you'll be home soon."

"You were right; I shouldn't have gone to that arraignment today. He went there expecting me and I walked straight into it. I should have let you just take me home. I'm so sorry, Danny."

Hearing her blame herself was almost more than he could bear. "Any other time, I'd be thrilled to hear you say I was right about something. But you gotta stop it, Linds. Everything is going to be okay. I get why you had to be there and it's not your fault that he targeted you there. As much as I hate that Atwood got his freakin' hands on you again, at least he's in custody again. We don't have to look over our shoulders anymore. You did that. You saved yourself."

"But its not fair. You deserve a good night's sleep. Your parents have had Lucy since this all started and they deserve a break. Lucy deserves to be in her own room knowing her parents are right there."

Danny pulled back cupping her face in his hands. "What about what you deserve? As long as I'm with you, I can sleep anywhere. Ma and Pop love having Lucy and our little girl is being spoiled rotten by her grandparents. We are all okay as long as you are okay. You don't deserve any of this and I'm the one who's sorry I didn't protect you."

Lindsay blinked back the tears. "You were at work, Danny. There was nothing you could do."

His own tears filled his eyes, threatening to overflow. "It's my fault you were even there in the first place. I should have gone to the bank on payday like I promised you I would. I got off in time but I was tired and just didn't want to bother so I went home knowing you'd pick up my slack on your day off. I never should have let you go to the bank that day."

Lindsay stared at him unable to believe he was blaming himself. "Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known the bank would be robbed."

"I couldn't know which bank but we knew some bank in the city would be robbed that day. I think back and I can't believe what an ass I was to put you in that danger. I'm so glad you are alive and here in my arms right now but at the same time I know that everything you went through was because I was a selfish ass."

Lindsay hiccupped softly, wincing at the pain that rippled over her ribs. "I don't like hearing you blame yourself. I don't blame you for anything that happened."

Danny smiled at her. "I don't like hearing you blame yourself either. It hurts me to hear you do it."

"Maybe we should just agree to blame the bad guys then." Lindsay offered softly.

Danny nodded. "I like that plan." He kissed her tenderly. He didn't delude himself into thinking that would be the end of the blame game. Those feelings went too deep for both of them to just turn them off like a flick of a switch. But at least for now they could set it aside.

Two female techs arrived to take Lindsay to x-ray. As soon as she was wheeled out, Flack appeared. He set the bag down and shook his head. "You know, I always wondered how you two made it. Sweet but tough country girl and the tough but passionate city boy - how do they make such a perfect couple? I just figured it out; no matter how different the two of you are, you really are the same. At least you two are discussing this round of blame game with each other."

Danny wiped his eyes and glared at his best friend. "What are you talking about?"

Flack smiled. "Rewind about two years. Different hospital and your roles were reversed. You are recovering from a gunshot wound blaming yourself cause you thought you were going to be a burden to Lindsay. She's blaming herself cause she thinks it's her fault you were shot."

Danny remembered the blame he felt after the shooting. He had seen the dark circles under Lindsay's eyes getting darker every day as she was there for him at the hospital, trying to care for a newborn baby, and trying to work. He hated putting her thought that. But how could Lindsay have blamed herself? "None of that was her fault."

"That's what we told her but she said if you hadn't been protecting her you wouldn't have been shot."

Now Danny felt like even more of an ass. He hadn't been a complete jerk to her during that time but he could remember snapping several times at her during his recovery. She'd just taken all his crap without complaint. Now he understood why; she had felt like she deserved it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because she told me not to. She didn't want to add to your concerns. Don't worry, we looked out for her but I'm really glad that this time you two are sharing with each other."

Danny sat in one of the chairs and Flack sat next to him. The curtain between the cubicles opened and Mac stepped through. Apparently Dr. Maddox had followed through on his promise to send the two women together. Danny looked at him. "Stella okay?"

Mac nodded. "Concussion but looks like she'll be fine. The nurse pretty much told her they would be keeping her overnight for observation. I'd forgotten how well she could curse in Greek."

Remembering hearing her as he came in, Danny laughed. Then he sighed and admitted. "Lindsay thinks she's a bad person because she didn't kill Atwood."

Mac nodded. "I'm not surprised. Either way she was bound to doubt herself. It's what separates the good guys from the ones with no conscience. She's probably questioning her motives. Did she let him live because she thought killing him was wrong or because she was hoping he would suffer in jail. If she had killed him she'd been questioning if she did it because it was what she was trained to do or for vengeance."

If Danny was surprised Mac had so accurately described the situation, he didn't show it. "I tried to convince her she didn't do anything wrong but I don't think I was successful."

"She knows you too well to completely trust you." Flack realized how crazy that sounded and explained. "No matter what, you would tell her what she needs to hear not as a lie but because you only see the best in her. Give her time, her emotions will level out and she'll know she did the right thing."

Danny shook his head. "Probably didn't help her to hear me spouting off that he should have died. I should have been more careful about what I said."

"Stella kept saying in the ambulance that she shouldn't have let Atwood get the drop on her; that she should have stopped him before he had a chance to get near Lindsay."

"This is rich." Flack groused. "Everyone is blaming themselves for what happened; everyone except probably the one person who deserves all the blame - John Atwood. How is that right?"

The sound of stretchers being wheeled outside the cubicles made them look up. Stella was pushed into her cubicle first followed by Lindsay into hers. The younger woman's eyes were closed, her face slack and fully relaxed for the first time since the nightmare began. Dr. Maddox followed behind them Danny stood, concerned with Lindsay's condition.

"Relax, Mr. Messer, the painkiller has knocked her out. They called me in from x-ray because of the pain she was experiencing. The earlier shot didn't even start to cut it so I had to give her something stronger. I checked her chart and saw where she didn't take much for pain while she was in. I think the pain finally caught up with her especially with the added attack this afternoon. I know she wants to go home and I had indicated that if the x-ray didn't show a fracture I would be able to release her. However, given the pain she was having, I'd really like to admit her again, just overnight so we can aggressively treat her pain. I think if we can keep her pretty well knocked out with the painkillers tonight, she'll be able to control the pain with oral medication once she goes home."

"She's not going to like it." Danny insisted but he knew it was for the best.

"She already agreed to it." Stella explained from the next cubicle. "Dr. Maddox explained what he wanted to do before he gave her the stronger painkiller. I think she was hurting enough that she would agree to just about anything. She had only two stipulations to agreeing to being admitted. One, Dr. Maddox find us a double upstairs and two, that Danny would pick Lucy up and stay the night with her at the apartment. Danny, you know how much she's been fighting the pain medication and this will give her a night of good, dreamless sleep, so I promised her that I would make sure someone took you home to follow her wishes."

Danny looked at Mac, knowing he was defeated. "I know Atwood is in jail but I'd feel better about this if I knew you were staying."

Mac smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay didn't wake up until about four in the morning. She glanced around and saw Stella sound asleep in the bed next to hers. Danny was nowhere in sight so she trusted that he had conceded to her wishes. She hated that she had to stay but realized the pain was much better thanks to the high dose painkiller. She was about to close her eyes again when she saw Mac watching her.

"Hey."

He smiled and moved to sit on the bed beside her. "Hey yourself. How's the pain?"

"I'll let you know when I can feel my body again. Stella okay?"

He nodded. "Except when the nurses come in every few hours to wake her up and check her mental status. Before you ask, yes, Danny picked up Lucy and took her home. I talked them both on the phone before Lucy went to bed at 8 and to Danny again just before midnight. They'll be here first thing in the morning to pick us all up. You want something else for pain?"

She shook her head. "If they had given me this stuff when I had Lucy, I might not have told Danny she was going to be an only child. Mac, has there been an increase in strangulation death with prostitutes?"

Unsure why she was asking, Mac nodded. "Don't worry about work right now. The rest of the team is working on it."

"Atwood killed them. He was bragging to me that he was practicing how he was going to kill me on prostitutes. Said he was careful not to leave evidence but he confessed to me. We can use my testimony to add those charges to him, can't we?"

Man again nodded. "I'll talk to the DA tomorrow. I don't think we can do federal charges for those though. You really need to stop solving all our cases for us. Everybody else is going to feel left out and I'm going to feel guilty about the work you are doing. If you are that desperate for a case, try solving the mystery of who keeps leaving an empty carton of Fudge Ripple Ice Cream in your freezer."

Her eyes were already closing again. "That's a no-brainer. Lucy isn't big enough to reach the freezer. I throw the empty container in the garbage for everyone to see. Danny hides the empty carton behind the cereal until trash day. We always seem to have the same babysitter whenever the ice cream disappears. It was Detective Taylor in the kitchen with a spoon.

Mac chuckled. "I knew I was hiring the best when I hired you."


	28. Chapter 27

Author's Notes: This chapter is a little lighter than some of the earlier chapters. I hope you like it. Things will be wrapping up in a few more chapters for this story, unless something takes me by surprise.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 27<p>

Danny stepped out of the elevator firmly holding Lucy's hand as she practically pulled him down the hallway in the direction he had indicated was Lindsay and Stella's room. Stopping outside the door, he squatted down to her eye level.

"I know you are excited about everything, Lucy. But please remember that Mommy still has a lot of ouchies so be very gentle."

Lucy nodded solemnly. "Likes when I hold the eggs when you and Mommy cook breakfast."

Remembering just how many times the eggs got broken when she did that, Danny paused. "Even gentler."

He opened the door and Lucy went running inside with an exuberant "Mommy!" he rolled his eyes at her glee but didn't fuss. He knew how much Lucy had missed Lindsay even though she'd visited every day Lindsay was in the hospital. He closed the door behind him slipping an object behind a chair before Lindsay could see it. He balked when he saw Lucy climbing up the railing on the right side of Lindsay's bed. "That's Mommy's sore side, Kiddo," he warned.

Already halfway to her desired prize, Lucy didn't climb down but instead crawled to the foot of the bed, crossed over and quickly scrambled to her mother's waiting arms. "Mommy, I missed you. Daddy taked me home last night and all my toys were still there. He cooked me grilled cheese with the crusties cut off and tomato soup. Then Daddy made me a castle of blankets and he was the brave prince coming to rescue me from the mean ole dragon who locked me in the castle. He readed me three of my favorite books but I felled asleep before he finished the last one. It was almost the most perfect evening 'cept it was missing you. If you comes home, I'll take very good care of you likes you do when I sick. Why you got a cow on your chest?" Her whole speech was given in a rush, the two year old barely taking a moment to breathe. But Lindsay hung on every word. Though she had seen her daughter several times while she was in the hospital, she felt like it had been forever since she'd had any bond time with the two year old. She was glad that even if she hadn't been there with her the night before that she'd insisted that Danny do so. It was clear how much the evening had meant to Lucy. Tears prickled her eyes.

"Well, Uncle Mac is out tracking down a doctor now so Aunt Stella and I can leave the hospital. You know how good Uncle Mac is at tracking people." Both women were already dressed, obviously ready for word that they had been sprung.

Luc nodded. "He's almost as good as you and Daddy." She looked over to the other bed where Stella was watching in bemusement. These innocent moments with the little family was what Stella missed the most about being in New Orleans. "Aunt Stella, you have an ouchie too? You need a kiss it make it better?"

Stella smiled broadly. "I'd love one."

Sensing that Lucy was about to scramble off one bed and onto the other, Danny interceded, plucking the toddler off Lindsay's bed while giving Lindsay a warm kiss of greeting. Then he held the little girl over Stella's bed so that Lucy could plant a kiss over the bandage. He smiled down at Stella. "How's the head this morning?" He returned Lucy to her mother's side.

"Hard as ever. Still have a little headache but not too bad. Especially after that magical kiss Miss Lucy just gave me."

"What were you hiding when you came in?" Lindsay asked, as observant as ever. Danny tried to look innocent but Lucy answered for him.

"Daddy brought you a present cause you hurt your leg."

Lindsay raised a questioning eyebrow and Danny blushed. "It's not really a present, just something from the apartment that I thought might help you get around a little better."

He returned to the door and retrieved the hidden object. Lindsay recognized the craftsmanship and the wood immediately and tears filled her eyes. The hand carved red cherry wooden cane had been a present to Danny from her father after Danny had graduated from the wheelchair to a cane. The gift had meant a lot to him, not just because Lindsay's father had made it himself but because Danny realized that from the time it had taken him to complete it and ship it, that Mr. Monroe had started carving it well before it was a guarantee that he'd even get out of the wheelchair. Because it was so special, Danny had taken very good care of it, refusing to use it at work where it could get messed up.

"Course, you won't need to use it as long as I did but it should make walking around a little easier for the next couple of days."

Lucy saw the tears slip past her mother's eyes and frowned. "What's wrong, Mommy? Don'tcha like it?" The little girl threw her arms around her mother hugging her tightly. Lindsay loved having her daughter in her arms but was a little glad her cow pillow was between her bruised chest and her daughter's body.

"I love it, Sweetheart. I'm not crying because I'm sad; I'm crying because I'm so happy."

Lucy shook her head, confused. "Grown-ups is silly. I only cry when I'm sad or hurt."

The hospital door opened and Mac stepped through. Lucy stood up on the bed bouncing happily at the sight of her favorite uncle. "Unc'a Mac, did you 'rest the doctor so Mommy and Aunt Stella could go home? If you couldn't track him down, Daddy could help you. He can do anything" She announced with all the conviction of a Daddy's little girl.

Danny quickly snagged the exuberant child off the bed by the second bounce. Lindsay shot him a look of gratitude but nodded to show she was okay. "Remember Mommy's ouchies, kiddo. Uncle Mac wasn't chasing down the doctor to arrest him but to talk to him." He further explained.

"I sorry, Mommy. I 'member next time." Satisfied she wouldn't jump again, Danny set her back down.

"I've got good news and bad news." Mac explained. Lindsay groaned.

"I hate bad news."

Mac smiled. "Then fortunately the good news is for you. Dr. Maddox signed your discharge papers last night for first thing this morning so that you could leave as soon as you were awake and felt like the pain would be manageable with oral painkillers."

The smile on Lindsay's face reminded Mac of Lucy's at Christmas. Now it was Stella's turn to glare. "That must mean the bad news is mine. I feel fine; don't tell me they are holding me."

"Not holding you but you have to wait for the doctor to make rounds. Could be another hour or two."

Knowing they were sharing transportation, Lindsay's smile weakened. "We can stick around until the doctor releases Stella."

"No," Stella protested. "You are not staying here when you don't have to. Danny take her home. I'll check on you after I get sprung."

Danny looked to Mac. "What about…"

Mac held up his hand, stopping him. "Already taken care of. You take the Avalanche and get your girls home. As soon as the doctor clears Stella, I'll call Flack and he'll pick us up. Flack said if he so much as thinks he sees any sign of a Messer in this hospital when he arrives, he'll make good on his threat to buy Lucy a D-R-U-M set. And I'll teach her how to play it nice and loud."

Stella piped up. "I'll even call every night to ask her to play it for me."

Danny looked at Lindsay. "Did they really think they had to threaten us?" Lindsay smiled once again.

Lucy, realizing they were about to leave, was almost about to jump up and down in delight but caught herself in time and clapped instead. "Boom! We blow this popsicle stand?"

Danny returned Lindsay's mock glare with a look of pure innocence as both Mac and Stella laughed. The nurse came in with the discharge instructions and a wheelchair. Within ten minutes, they were ready to leave. Since the wheelchair was big, Lindsay offered Lucy the chance to sit beside her and ride the wheelchair down. Danny wanted to protest but knew Lindsay was cherishing every moment of contact with Lucy. The little girl sat on Lindsay's left side with the cane resting on both their laps.

Mac and Stella said their goodbyes and promised to come by and check on them later. Danny went down ahead so he could have the truck waiting when Lindsay arrived in the wheelchair.

Once both of his girls were safely buckled into their seats, Danny got behind the wheel. As he fastened his seatbelt he looked at Lindsay with a grin. "Ready to go home?"

"More than. Danny, thank you for all you've done. I know none of this has been any easier for you."

Reaching over, he gave her hand a squeeze and then twisted the band on her finger. "The day we married we made the same promises to each other. We promised it was for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, and for richer and poorer. True, it seems like lately we've seen more of the worse, sickness, and maybe not poorer but definitely not richer than most married couples do. But I don't see how you can realize just how much you really love someone if it's always better, richer, and healthier."

"True but I think it's time we gave that a shot, don't you?"

Danny glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure Lucy was distracted. "Let those bruises heal so I don't hurt you and I'll show you the best time ever." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Lindsay's heart thudded a little harder and she chewed her lower lip. Her eyes were almost a desperate fear. "Promise?"

It hurt him to see her so yearning and pleading. He raised her hand to his lips, kissing them gently. "Pinky swear. Who knows, the munchkin goes to sleep early, I might be persuaded to give you a little foretaste."

Lindsay almost whimpered with need. "A little Benydryl in her juice at supper would probably ensure it." Realizing what she said, tears filled her eyes.

Danny glanced at her alarmed, wondering if he needed to pull over. "What's wrong, Linds? If it's too soon for that kind of talk, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you."

"I just offered to slip Lucy drugs in her juice. What a horrible mother am I?"

"Mommy not horrible, hers the bestest." Lucy piped up from the back seat.

Danny wondered how the light tone had gotten so dark so quickly. This was one of those tricky little land mines he had worried about. "Linds, please don't beat yourself up; you can't handle any more bruises. You didn't say or do anything wrong. You made a joke, that's all. Absolutely nothing wrong with that; truth is I was wondering what we could give her but I couldn't remember if Benedryl was the one that hyped her up or knocked her out." Seeing she wasn't convinced but not willing to argue, he sighed. "Doc gave you a prescription for painkillers. Want me to stop on the way to get it filled?"

She shook her head, leaning against the head-rest. Danny could feel himself getting frustrated. He knew he had to expect her emotions to be topsy-turvy but the not knowing what would cause the mood swings and how to fix it was difficult. He tried to think of something to say that would make it better.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Danny. You're trying so hard to make this easier and instead I just make it more difficult. The pain is fine for now. They gave me something not long before you arrived. I'd rather go home now and let you get it filled later. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Stella at least will be by as soon as she's out of the hospital. I can run get it filled then."

Lindsay looked like she was about to say something but stopped herself. He had a feeling he knew what she was about to say and wanted to confront it head on. "Linds, Babe, my wanting someone at the house today if I'm not there has nothing to do with me not thinking you can take care of yourself. I know you are more than capable, but humor me today. Dr. Maddox wanted you on bed rest and I'd rather someone was there if you need something. I know you don't want to be babied any more than I did when I got out of the hospital and I also know that I complained like crazy when you insisted someone stay with me. But you know I'm a much worse whiner than you are. Soon enough, I'll have to return to work; it's not fair to leave Mac down by two CSI's for much longer. Let me cater to your every whim while I can."

"I love you, Danny." The words didn't offer the concession but her tone said she wouldn't fight him.

"Love you too."

In no time, he pulled up in front of their apartment building. Lindsay continued to sit in the truck until Danny had freed Lucy from her buckles and then climbed out as well. While she still felt pain when she walked, having the cane to lean on and take some of her weight helped. She leaned against the wall of the elevator until it reached their floor and then limped down the hall to their apartment. Danny unlocked the door, opening it wide to let her in. She stepped inside and stood there as Danny walked around her to take her bag to the bedroom.

Now that she was standing in her apartment, she simply stood there, drinking in the images that were at the same time so welcomingly familiar and remote from her current reality. She could feel a bubble of hysteria building up inside her. The fact that she was standing in her apartment again was nothing short of a miracle. Just seven short days had passed since she last stood there but it seemed like an eternity had slipped past her in the meantime.

She wasn't aware that she was whimpering or that Lucy was staring at her in fear, calling her name. She didn't hear Danny emerge from the bedroom or see Lucy run to him. She missed Danny's reassurances to their daughter that Mommy was okay and to go play in her room for a few minutes. Wasn't aware of anything until Danny wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close. Then the flood of tears washed over her. Danny picked her up bodily and carried her to the couch, sitting down with her. She wasn't sure how long she cried but finally she was spent, hiccupping softly.

"Today would have been the day they killed me but it didn't happen. I'm really home, aren't I? I'm here, I'm alive, and they can't hurt me anymore. I survived."

Danny realized then what the meltdown was about. No matter how optimistic she was, a small part of her had believed that she wouldn't make it out of the situation alive. It was finally hitting home to her that she really had survived. Yes, it was an anxiety attack but it was one of relief and he wasn't going to take that away from her. He understood it all to well having experienced his own similar breakdown the night before after Lucy had gone to bed. He'd been so wrapped up in taking care of Lindsay that it wasn't until he was in the safety of his own bedroom and his daughter was asleep that he'd been able to allow himself to feel that same relief that his wife was alive and coming home to him.

He kissed her tenderly. "You did more than survive, Baby."

Their doorbell rang and Lucy came running from the bedroom, excited to see who was there. Giving Lindsay another kiss and settling her on the couch, Danny stood to answer the door. He expected Mac, Stella, and Flack or maybe even Jo or Sheldon but instead Adam stood there holding a small box. He looked a little uncomfortable.

"Um, I know you just got home but well, Jo asked me to deliver something so I figured the hospital breakfast probably wasn't that great, so I stopped at that little Mom and Pop diner near the lab that Lindsay likes so much."

Danny stepped aside to allow the young computer genius entrance. Adam carried the box to the couch and set it on the table. He looked at Lindsay, his adam's apple bobbing a little nervously. "You look like one big ouch waiting to happen."

Lindsay actually chuckled at his description and Adam relaxed. "I feel like a great big ouch that already happened. Did I hear you mention food?"

Adam nodded and pulled a Styrofoam container from the box and handed it to Lindsay. "Two eggs over medium, grits, sausage - huge link not a half-dollar size patty, and I even had them add an order of hash browns for good measure for the lady." He pulled out a second container and handed it to Danny. "Heartburn omelet for you, that baby has everything in it including the kitchen sink." A third container was set in front of Lucy. "And for my favorite pint size Messer, blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes. I also have two coffees for the adults and a chocolate milk for Lucy."

Everyone sat around the couch so they could eat. Between bites of her favorite breakfast, Lindsay thanked their friend for bringing the food. Adam's ears turned pink from embarrassment. "Yeah, well, I felt bad that I hadn't been by to see you."

Lindsay reached over and gave his knee a little squeeze. "Don't feel bad. I understood and wasn't upset about it at all. I knew you would be around when you could and I knew it didn't mean you weren't concerned."

Lucy looked up from her pancakes. "Want a bite, Unc'a Adam?"

Danny laughed. "Considered yourself special, Adam. That one does not share her blueberry chocolate chip pancakes with anyone. Kind of takes after her mom in that aspect." He laughed when Lindsay gave him a small swat on the arm.

Adam allowed the little girl to feed him a bite of her pancakes. He chewed and swallowed and then his eyes lit up. "Those aren't bad. I'm going to have order that for myself next time I'm in that diner. Thank you, Lucy. I didn't come just to bring food though." Adam reached back in the box and pulled out a small revolver and handed it to Lindsay. She recognized it as her own service revolver. She looked confused.

"Jo was going to come with the news but I asked if I could deliver it. IA fully cleared you. I don't think they even really questioned the shooting."

Though Danny wasn't surprised at the ruling, he was glad for Lindsay's peace of mind that IA agreed. Lindsay was staring at her gun and he was sure she was reliving the scene in that bathroom. Without a word he took the weapon from her and took it to the gun safe in the bedroom. When he returned, he forced her head up to look at him. "Don't go back there, Babe. It's over and you are okay. You did the right thing for the right reasons and it's over. Don't let that bastard hold you captive any longer."

Slowly Lindsay nodded and forced a smile. Danny returned to his seat. Adam shot him a look as if to ask if everything was okay and Danny nodded without a word. Adam cleared his throat nervously, reaching back into the box. "I have one more gift."

"You're like the wizard in Wizard of Oz." Lindsay stated quietly. She appreciated everything Adam was doing but she wasn't sure how many more surprises she could handle. With a grin, he handed her a brand new cell phone.

"There may be a few things missing from your old phone but I tracked down the phone you had before the upgrade last month. I was afraid it had been wiped already but fortunately they are backlogged down in city communications. I used it to transfer the information in it to your new phone. Any aps or numbers you added after the upgrade aren't on there but you let me know what's missing and I'll help you add it."

Lindsay was truly overwhelmed. Adam might not have been able to face his teenage demons to come visit her but the time he took to restore what she'd lost was just as touching. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Thanks, Adam. This is great.

Adam stayed a few more minutes before announcing that he needed to get back to the lab. After he left, the young family was alone for about another hour before Stella arrived. Mac and Flack had dropped her off before going to the lab themselves.

Danny knelt beside the couch where Lindsay had settled comfortably. "I'm going to go get your prescription filled. You need anything else while I'm out?"

Lindsay shook her head. The pain killer from that morning was wearing off so she wasn't going to protest him leaving to get the prescription. "Be careful?"

Danny grinned. "Always."

Leaving the apartment, he felt bad about not telling her everything he was planning to do. He knew neither she nor Stella would like his first stop. He drove almost on autopilot to University hospital and found a convenient parking place. He stopped at the front desk for directions and then made his way to the 7th floor. The US Marshal from the day before greeted him as he got off the elevator and approached a room at the end of the hall. Danny shook his hand.

"I appreciate you letting me do this."

The marshal nodded. "If the bastard had hurt my wife the way he hurt yours I'd want a face to face as well. He's completely restrained and won't cause any trouble."

He opened the door for Danny who stepped into the room. John Atwood looked up surprised as he entered. "What are you doing here?"


	29. Chapter 28

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I had a kind of lazy weekend after a crazy week of state tests. Fortunately, only 8 more school days remain and then summer is here. YEAH! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint but it's the way that it seemed to come to me to do. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 28<p>

Pausing outside the apartment door before inserting his key into the lock, Danny glanced down at his bruised and bloodied hands. How would he ever be able to explain the wounds without telling her where he had been. It wasn't that he wanted to out and out lie to Lindsay but he also didn't want to upset her with the truth either. Maybe he would be lucky and she would be taking a nap and he could get to the bathroom and clean up the worst of the damning evidence before she saw him. But Stella would be there, and she probably wouldn't be napping.

"_You're Danny, aren't you? The little Copper told me all about you. Come to extract your pound of flesh in revenge, have you?"_

Danny shook his head to clear Atwood's voice from his head. Looking back, he didn't know what he had really been thinking when he'd called Marshall Davies earlier to ask for permission to see Atwood. He certainly hadn't been thinking as a cop but more like a retribution-seeking husband. He eased the door open and poked his head in before entering completely.

The TV was softly playing, some chick flick from the sound of it and he could hear Lindsay and Stella laughing in the living room. He gripped the bags he was holding tighter and stepped inside.

"That you Danny?" Lindsay called softly. "I was starting to get a little worried. Did the pharmacy have trouble with the prescription?"

"Nah, I just remembered when I finished that we were out of some of the essentials and did a grocery run as well. I have milk and eggs so I better get them in the fridge. I'll be there in a minute."

He hoped that it would satisfy both women until he had a chance to clean up a little. He really had picked up milk, eggs and a few other staples that had run low in the week that everything had been so crazy. He had known he would need some sort of excuse for the longer than necessary trip to the pharmacy. He put the groceries away quickly and then turned the faucet on cold and let the water run over his injured knuckles.

"_You should really take better care of your wife you know. The next guy that puts his hands on her might not be as nice as I was. I just wish I had had more time to fully explore all her hidden assets. I bet you love tapping that every night, don't you? I figured her to be more of a screamer though. How about it? Do you make her scream when you do her?"_

His whole body was trembling with rage with every memory of the time he'd spent in that hospital room. He almost felt dirty from being in close proximity to the murderer and Atwood had been restrained to the bed the entire time. How much worse it had to have been for Lindsay to spend a little over two days in his capture?

"Danny, what's wrong?" Lindsay crossed the kitchen, leaning heavily on the cane her father had made. Her expressive brown eyes were cloudy with a mixture of pain and confusion. She was at his side before he could even think to grab a towel to cover his hands. She drew in a sharp breath when she saw his busted knuckles. "Danny, what happened?"

Turning off the water, he dried his hands quickly before wrapping her in his arms holding her tightly, letting the feel of her body calm his rattled nerves. She didn't even know what happened and she was scared. He couldn't tell her the truth. "It's nothing, Babe. Don't worry about it."

She squirmed in his hold, pushing back so she could see his face. "Too late, I'm already worried. Your hands look awful. What did you do to them?"

"_Every time you touch her and she pulls away, it'll be me that she's thinking of."_

"Really, it's nothing. There was a little old woman in the parking lot of the grocery store. She had a flat tire and didn't know what to do. Triple A had told her it would be an hour before they could send someone to help her. You know me, I had to play hero and offer to change it for her. Damn jack probably had never been used; it was a real bitch to operate and I scraped up my knuckles trying to get the car jacked up so I could change the tire. What I get for trying to be superman, I guess." He felt like a royal asshole for lying to her.

She gave him a questioning look and then smiled, stretching up as much as she could before it hurt too much. He met her the rest of the way in a tender kiss. When she pulled back, she shook her head. "You are my superman, no trying involved. Let me get the Neosporin for those wounds. If that 'damn' jack hasn't been used before, it probably didn't have too much rust but you can't be too careful."

Danny stopped her before she made him feel even worse than he already felt. "Linds, stop. I'm okay and I can take care of it myself. You are suppose to be on bed rest. Go back to the couch and finish watching your movie with Stella. You need one of your pain pills first?"

She nodded but looked like she wanted to protest. Instead she obediently turned to the counter where her prescription bag was sitting and opened the bottle. By the time she had a pill in her hand, Danny had retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge for her. After she had swallowed the little white pill, she gave him another questioning look. "You sure you're okay? You seem a little jumpy."

He sighed. "I'm fine. I just hated to be gone so long. Before you protest, I know you were fine and didn't even need Stella keeping you company but hate it all you want, it's going to take me some time to feel okay letting you out of my sight. I'm damn lucky that you are able to stand here worrying about my stupid knuckles and it's just something I've got to wrap my own mind around."

"_Too bad I wasn't able to finish the job like I wanted to. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a third chance."_

Lindsay leaned into him once more. "I know, Danny. I'm sorry I gave you a hard time earlier about not needing a babysitter. I know this has been just as tough on you and Lucy. It's not all about me and my feelings. I'll try to be more sensitive to your feelings as well."

Tears filled his eyes as she just unknowingly rubbed more and more salt in his wounds of deceit. He kissed the top of her head, wanting to pull away and confess everything that had happened; tell her what had really happened to his hands. "Not just as tough. Nothing Lucy and I experienced holds a candle to what you went through. Yeah it was tough but in a different way. Don't minimize what happened to you. I'm a big boy; I can take care of my feelings."

Lindsay pulled away again knowing she had stood on her sore hip for as long as she could. "It's over now. He's in custody and neither one of us has to see or think about him again until this all goes to trial. I'll be a good girl and go back to the couch, but if you need me or Stella to help you bandage those knuckles, let us know."

Danny promised and watched her return to the living room. He slumped against the counter. Normally, there would have been no way he would have gotten away with lying to her. She knew him all to well. The fact that she bought his story so convincingly told him just how far off her usual game she was. Though he was glad to have dodged the bullet, it made him feel all the worse for having told the lie to start with.

He had not gone into that hospital room intending to hurt Atwood. As Lindsay had just said, he was in custody and couldn't hurt them any more. That hadn't stopped him from wanting to confront the bastard and let him know that no matter what he had done, he hadn't won. He had expected to go into that hospital room and rip into Atwood and leave feeling better for having had his say. He hadn't counted on Atwood quickly taking control of the conversation. Every word the bastard said had raised Danny's blood pressure until he wasn't sure who was leading the conversation anymore.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had Atwood by the hospital gown with one hand and with the other his fist cocked back ready to smash into the arrogant murderer's face. A vein was visibly throbbing at his temple as he remembered his own words to Atwood.

"_You really think you are somethin' don't you? You tried your best and it wasn't good enough. Yeah, you might have hurt her but she's a survivor and she's going to be just fine. Before you go to trial this will all be some distant memory to her and it'll be like it never happened. But every moment you spend in jail, you'll be looking over your shoulder hoping the guards don't decide to turn their backs on a cop rapist and a cop killer just at the moment some other lowlife scum pulls out a shank and guts you the way you did one of your hostages. But don't worry. You won't have to spend too much time in prison before you end up with a needle in your arm courtesy of Uncle Sam and then you won't be able to hurt anyone ever again. Say hello to your son when you get to hell. I'm sure he's already there waitin' on you."_

"Daddy, can I have a snack? My stomach's all grumbling now that its been so long since those pancakes Unc'a Adam brung me." Lucy skipped into the kitchen. She paused when she saw the condition of his hands. "Oh, Daddy, you hurted your hands again. I kiss-it-make-it-better?" Before he could answer, she planted innocent kisses over each of his knuckles. The sweet gesture was more than he could stand and he sank to his knees and began to sob. Scared at seeing her normally strong father breaking down, Lucy ran to the living room to the one person she knew could help.

"Mommy, Daddy's crying. I sorry. I just wanted to make his ouchies feel better." Huge tears filled her own eyes at the perceived guilt of hurting her father. Lindsay gathered her close to hug her, looking over at Stella. Their curly haired friend started to rise but Lindsay shook her head.

"Lucy, let me take care of Daddy. You didn't do anything wrong. You know how you thought it was strange when Mommy started crying about Daddy brining me the cane? Well, Daddy's just a little emotional now because he's so glad that Mommy is home and safe. It's going to be okay. Why don't you show Aunt Stella your bedroom. I don't think she's seen it since Daddy hung those stars and clouds on your ceiling." Lindsay silently pleaded with her friend to take Lucy into the other room while she discovered what was really wrong with Danny.

Stella nodded and allowed Lucy to lead her down the hall to the bedroom. On the way she saw Danny sobbing as if his life was over in the kitchen and knew something more had happened than just playing the Good Samaritan. Once in the little girl's bedroom, Stella closed the door so they wouldn't hear what was happening in the kitchen.

Lindsay struggled back to her feet and returned to the kitchen. Her heart broke at the sight of her husband crumpled on the floor in sobs. Getting down on the floor beside him reminded her of how awkward it had been getting up and down when she was over eight months pregnant with Lucy. It would have been a little funny if she wasn't hurting so much and if Danny hadn't dissolved into an emotional mess in front of her. Finally she had her arms wrapped around him; this time she was the comforter and he was the comfortee. She didn't say a word but simply held him until the emotional outburst had ended. After what seemed to be hours but was probably only about ten minutes, he pulled away, kissing her gently.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost it like that. I bet I scared Lucy."

"Lucy is fine and you are more than entitled to 'lose' it every now and then. God knows I've lost it quite a few times in the last few days." She assured him. "She's showing Stella her bedroom and with all the toys she has in there, we may never see Stella again. Now, let's start this over. You didn't get those wounds helping a little old woman change her tire. You went to see Atwood. Did you do that damage to your hands at the expense of his face? Should I be expecting a visitor showing up soon with a warrant?"

Danny stared at her in amazement. "How did you know I went to see Atwood? I didn't tell anyone where I was going."

Lindsay sighed. "I didn't know for sure until you just confirmed it. It was only a suspicion. Oh, Danny, why? Hasn't he caused us enough trouble?"

Danny wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "I don't know. Something in the Y chromosome that told me that I had to grunt and beat a club over the head of the man that hurt my wife maybe. I've watched how much this whole thing has hurt you and there's not a damn thing I can do to make this better or easier on you. Flack made a comment yesterday at the hospital that Atwood was the only one not blaming himself for all that's happened and, I don't know, I guess I wanted to make sure he took the blame. I wanted him to know that as bad as he thought he was, he hadn't won in the end. That you were going to be okay. I swear to you I went there to beat him up with my words not my fists."

"And then his mouth got in the way." Lindsay guessed. She thought of the many different things he had said to her both during her captivity and the day before in the courthouse bathroom. It didn't take much to realize he could probably say all the right things to push Danny's buttons. Especially if he was still trying to engineer his own death or another escape. She reached up to caress her husband's face lovingly. "Danny, I won't lie to you. He hurt me a lot. More than I've been able to express in words but I've got you and Lucy and friends who love me enough that you are all going to make sure I'm okay. Tonight you and I will both fall asleep in our bed together with your arms wrapped around me. Maybe I have nightmares about what happened but even if I do you will be there to hold me and comfort me. The same will be true night after night until there are no more nightmares and all there is just you holding and loving me through the night. What does he have? A stint in prison that will probably leave him wishing each night for death and maybe even a date with a lethal injection. Who will be there to mourn his death? No one."

"That's what I wanted to tell him. I don't even know what he said that finally made me snap. All of a sudden all I could see was red and my fist was cocked ready to smash in his face." Danny went on to relate exactly what he'd told Atwood. Then he sighed. "Something flashed in his eyes when I mentioned the guards turning their backs while he was being shanked. It was fear. The same kind of fear I've seen in your eyes since that day in the warehouse. It wasn't a fear of what could happen but a remembered fear of what _had_ happened. Then just as quickly as the fear was there it was gone again, replaced with this cocky grin that screamed for me to bring it on. Then he went right back to taunting me."

"_Go ahead. Copper didn't have the balls to pull the trigger. What about you, Danny? I raped your wife and given half the chance I'd rape her again and again until there was nothing left but a bloody mess and then just for good measure I'd wring her pretty little neck until there wasn't an ounce of life left in her. Knowing that, can you live with the fact that I'm still alive and imagining all the kinds of hell I could put her through? Can you stomach the idea that I'm out there getting hard every night remembering the feel of my fingers plunging in and out of her hot little body? Who knows, maybe I'll even get a defense attorney who's good enough to get me off without so much as a slap on the wrist. How would you and the Copper sleep at night knowing I'm out there just biding my time until I could have her once again? Knowing that both of you had a chance to ensure that it could never happen but didn't have the guts to do it?_

He couldn't stand to remember those words coming from his vile mouth, let alone repeat them for Lindsay to hear. She wrapped her arms around him again, giving him a moment to get lost in his thoughts. With Danny's head pressed to her chest, she whispered above his head. "How badly did you hurt him?" The question was asked without any recrimination or ire.

He drew in a shaky breath. "Before I could throw the first punch, Marshal Davies stopped me. Said he didn't blame me if I beat him to a bloody pulp but if I was going to do that, we'd have to make it look like Atwood was trying to escape. Said he'd back me the whole way. Damn it, Linds, so much of me wanted to do it. It would have been so easy. Atwood was practically begging me and I was basically being given carte blanche by a federal marshal to do it. But when it came down to it, I'm a cop and I took an oath to serve and protect not to go vigilante just because I could do it, even if the asshole deserved it. I thought about how strong you were to not take that route even when you have a valid reason for killing him. Maybe I could have gotten away with it but deep down I would know what I'd done and I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror. I wouldn't be able to be the husband you need and deserve and I couldn't be the father Lucy could be proud of. So I released him. Let go of him without another word and turned and left the hospital room without so much as a glance back at him."

Lindsay let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She was glad to hear that he hadn't hit Atwood, not for that monster's sake but for his own. No matter how good or right it might have felt in the moment, he would have regretted it later, even if there were no legal repercussions from it. That was the difference between them and Atwood. They still had a moral compass that was pointed firmly to what was right even if it did get a little shaky from time to time. Atwood's moral compass had stopped working from the moment that guard had made him his victim. Instead of trying to rise above the circumstances he had no control of, he'd chosen to remain a victim and live his life in search for new ways to hurt others.

"I'm proud of you, Danny. I know the hardest thing you could have done was walk away without so much as putting a scratch on him. One thing I don't understand, however, is if you didn't hit him, what happened to your hands?"

Danny's ears turned pink from embarrassment. "I could let him go but I couldn't just let go of the anger. Let's just say there's a bathroom at University Hospital that's in major need of some spackling. I can't say for sure but they may even need to replace a stall door cause I think I might have pounded it off its hinges."

Perhaps it was still a little of the hysteria she'd been fighting since the day before or maybe it was the pain medication but the image of Danny going postal on the bathroom wall and stall door made her suddenly start giggling. He watched her in concern to make sure she wasn't about to go from laughing to sobbing faster than his Harley could go from 0 to 70. She shook her head, indicating she was okay. "Well," she quipped, "at least this time it wasn't a brick wall."

Danny's jaw dropped. "How did you know about that?"

Lindsay tilted her head up so she could give him a kiss. "Haven't you learned by now that I know everything?" She paused for a moment then admitted, "Flack told me the last night he stayed at the hospital all night. He wasn't ratting you out; I asked about why your hand was bandaged and he told me."

Relived that he had admitted the truth and didn't appear to have upset her too much, Danny cupped her face tenderly in his hands kissing her chastely at first and then with an increasing desperation to erase his earlier deception. When he pulled away, suddenly remembering that their daughter and friend was in the next room, he looked at her with a plea in his eyes. "I'm so sorry I lied to you earlier."

Lindsay shushed him. "You didn't lie to deceive me but to protect me. I can't fault you for doing the same thing to me that I did to you when I first denied I'd been raped. Just understand that I'm going to keep needing you to comfort me at times but I want to be able to do the same for you when you need it as well. That's part of what marriage is all about."

"I love you so much."

Smiling at him she snuggled back against him, in no hurry to move out of this current position. "I love you as well. Just promise me you'll do something for me."

"Anything." Danny promised.

"First thing tomorrow I want you to go to Modell's and buy yourself a punching bag. Your poor hands can't take you unleashing any more anger on walls."

Danny chuckled feeling better about the afternoon now that he was in his wife's arms. "Promise."


	30. Chapter 29

Author's Notes: We get at least one more season with CSI: NY! How happy am I? Sorry for the delay again. I came home yesterday and pretty much crashed before the sun went down. I don't know if it's the full moon or the fact that school's almost out or a combination of the two, but the kids have been wild the last couple of days. The good news is that school will be out next week and that will give me two months for plenty of writing. The end is a little graphic in a good way. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 29<p>

"Danny, you know she's going to kill you if she catches you."

Danny lowered the camera and looked at Stella innocently. "Are you telling me you wouldn't want me to send you copies?"

Her eyes twinkled in bemusement. "Of course I want copies; I just want to make sure you realize the risk you are taking. As sweet as that is, I'm pretty sure Lindsay would not appreciate you taking pictures of her while her nose is all bandaged up like that."

With a chuckle, Danny quickly snapped a couple of photographs. He knew Stella was absolutely right about Lindsay killing him if she discovered he was taking pictures of her all bruised up but he couldn't resist. She was propped up on the couch sound asleep looking more relaxed than she had since this whole nightmare had started. Lucy was curled up beside her, half lying on the cow pillow jammed between her small body and Lindsay's battered one. The two-year-old was also sound asleep, thumb of one hand tucked inside her mouth and the other hand curled protectively over Lindsay's arm. Lindsay's other hand was still entwined in Lucy's hair from where she'd been running her fingers through the baby fine blonde locks before falling asleep.

"Did the kid really just fall asleep mid sentence? Cause I was sitting there waiting for her to finish telling me why Woody was better than Buzz and she just stopped talking." Flack shook his head in confusion.

Danny put the camera down and smiled down at his daughter. It wasn't the first time Lucy had fallen asleep while in the middle of the conversation. It was a trait she'd picked up from Lindsay but he wouldn't say that to the others. Some secrets were better off kept between a married couple. "At least she closed her eyes completely this time. The first time she fell asleep like that I looked over waiting for her to finish what she was saying and her eyes were only half closed. I freaked out thinking she'd lost consciousness or something. I'm ready to grab her up and rush her to the emergency room and Linds is just sitting there laughing her ass off at me. She said she couldn't believe I was freaked out by it when I do it all the time. I'm not surprised either of them went to sleep so early. Lucy skipped her nap this afternoon since she had such an attentive audience in Stella here. And Lindsay isn't used to all this pain medication. I'm usually doing good to get her to take a Tylenol when she has a headache."

Stella stood. "Flack, if you don't mind dropping me off at my hotel, we should probably get out of here. They deserve the family time even if two of them are going to sleep through it." She kissed Danny's cheek who hugged her warmly in turn. "Call me if you need anything at all."

Danny promised and soon he was alone with the two sleeping females. He smiled at them. As sweet as they looked, he knew they would sleep more comfortably in their own beds in their own pajamas. He eased Lucy into his arms first, making sure that he gently extracted Lindsay's hand from Lucy's hair first. He almost felt like he was a kid again playing a game of Operation, trying to remove different body parts without making the buzzer go off. Once the toddler was in his arms, she whimpered but didn't fully waken. He planted reassuring kisses on her cheek.

"It's okay, Princess, Daddy's got you."

"Mommy." Lucy muttered still pretty much asleep.

"Shh, Mommy's sleeping. Lucy needs to go back to sleep as well."

"Love you, daddy." Then she was back to sleep. Danny made quick work changing her into her nightgown and tucking her into bed. She didn't waken again even when he kissed her forehead.

"Love you too, Baby." Checking to make sure the nightlight was on and the monitor turned on, he left his daughter's bedroom and returned to the living room. Lindsay hadn't moved in the time it took him to put Lucy to bed. He stared at her lovingly, wondering if he should try to wake her up before picking her up and taking her to bed. It wouldn't be the first time she'd fallen asleep on the couch and he'd had to put her to bed. Many times he'd come home from a late night shift to find her sacked out on the couch. He would pick her up much the way he'd just picked up Lucy and put his wife to bed before collapsing beside her. But given what she'd been through, he didn't want to scare her if she woke up in the process and was confused about what was happening.

It made him a little sad and a little angry that he found himself second guessing what he did around her. He knew she didn't want that and he certainly didn't want it but at least temporarily it was a legacy Atwood had left them with. He didn't doubt they would get through this but he wasn't sure how long or painful the journey would be.

Finally he decided to chance it. Gently he gathered her in his arms against his chest. She didn't wake up but snuggled closer to him. He kissed her cheek much the way he had Lucy's and carried her to the bedroom. He set her down on the bed. He'd lost count over the years of the number of times he'd undressed Lindsay either as a precursor to their lovemaking or in those cases where he'd put her to bed. Normally, he took his time, enjoying every minute of laying bear her body, punctuating each movement with kisses and touches designed to show her exactly how much he loved her. Many a time, after she lay naked underneath him, he'd simply stared at her beautiful, sexy body amazed all over again that this amazing woman had agreed to share her life with him. This time however was awkward. He didn't want to hurt her accidentally and he didn't want her to wake up in the process of him disrobing her and have bad associations with it. Finally, he had her clothes off and was placing one of his t-shirts, one that was snug on him but swallowed her whole, over her head and shoulders.

Once he had her tucked under the covers, he made short work removing his own clothes down to his boxers. It was still early and he wasn't tired in the least but he didn't want to leave her alone in the bedroom. He could be quite content lying beside her with her body gently nestled in his arms simply watching the steady rise and fall of her chest until sleep overtook him as well.

As much as he wanted to take her in his arms and show her in no uncertain terms how much he loved her and how grateful he was that he hadn't lost her, it could wait until her body and her mind had had a chance to heal. Thankfully, they had all the time in the world to express their love for each other.

Though he hadn't felt tired when he first climbed into bed with her, it didn't take long for sleep to overtake him as well. He dozed off, Lindsay tucked safely in his arms, feeling completely at ease for the first time in a week.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

When her fingernails dug into his arm around two in the morning, Danny awoke instantly. He'd subconsciously been expecting her to have nightmares since he drifted off and was surprised it had taken this long. As his eyes focused on her however, he saw that she was wide awake and sitting up in the bed.

"What's wrong, Babe?"

"Danny, what the date?" Lindsay voice had more than a hint of panic in it.

Sitting up beside her, rubbing his eye, he looked at the bedside clock. "Since it's after midnight, it'll be the 10th."

"Crap, Crap, Crap. Danny, we are in so much trouble. I can't believe I hadn't thought about it already. Our rent and Lucy's school fees are automatically deducted from our account on the 9th. We are going to hit overdraft. I didn't get a chance to deposit our checks before the robbery. I put them in Lucy's pockets so the robbers wouldn't learn I was a cop. Why are you laughing? Danny, this isn't funny." She was practically glaring at him.

Danny silenced her with a kiss. Once he pulled away, he pulled her close. "I'm sorry I laughed, Baby. Relax, Linds. We aren't in overdraft. Ma found the checks in Lucy's pocket and made Pop stop at the bank on his way to work the day after the robbery. Our money is in the account and the automatic drafts were paid without a problem. Besides, I think the bank would owe it to us to cut us some slack even if the checks hadn't been deposited."

Lindsay allowed her body to melt against him, relieved that her worries had been for nothing. "You say your sorry for laughing but yet you are still doing it." She accused.

Danny kissed her shoulder. "You're right, I am. But Babe, I'm not laughing at you. I'm just relieved. If the worst thing your mind is throwing at you tonight is worry about money, then I can't be that upset about it."

Reluctantly Lindsay smiled as well. "I'm glad you think our possible financial ruin is so trivial. But I get what you are saying. I can't believe I fell asleep like that. I really wanted to be able to put Lucy to bed tonight. I've missed that."

"I might have put her to bed but you are the one she fell asleep on. She was completely sacked out on you. At the risk of getting hit, I have pictures to prove it."

Tears filled her eyes. "You do? Can I see them?"

Leaving the warmth of the bed, Danny went into the bedroom to retrieve the camera. He pulled up the pictures in question. A soft smiled played at her lips. "I actually love it. In the morning, will you print out a copy for me?"

"Whatever you want." Danny was surprised but he thought he understood what she was thinking. Her wounds didn't matter as much as having her daughter in her arms in such a sweet and simple moment. It was the same thing that had drawn him to take the picture in the first place. He placed the camera on the nightstand.

He ran his hand through Lindsay's hair much the way she had earlier done with Lucy. A soft shiver ran down her body. Seeing it, Danny paused and eyed her carefully. "How are you feeling? Do you need a pain pill?"

She shook her head chewing on her bottom lip. "There's something else I need more."

Danny drew her close to him and resumed playing with her hair. "Name it, Babe."

"Kiss me." There was such an earnest plea in her voice that he didn't hesitate to turn her toward him and cover her mouth with his, letting his tongue explore the inside of her mouth. Without even being aware of his own actions, the hand that wasn't supporting her back crept under her shirt to cup her breast, his thumb softly teasing her nipple. He didn't even realize what he was doing until he broke off the kiss and Lindsay moaned in pleasure.

"Yes, Baby, please."

His hand stilled, looking her in the eye carefully. His voice was husky with desire. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice to say anything else. He eased the t-shirt up over her shoulders and tossed it to the side. He laid her back against the bed, his hand skimming over her body. He blazed a trail of kisses from her mouth down her throat and collarbone until he was hovering over her right breast. His tongue flicked out lapping at her nipple. Her body arched underneath him and he smiled happy that he could cause such a positive reaction. As his mouth lavished attention to her right breast, he was careful not to let his teeth graze her skin. Not wanting her other breast to feel neglected, he gently cupped and teased it with his hand feeling the nipple harden with is touch.

His body hovered over her being careful not to rest any of his weight on top of her. Her own hands traveled down and slipped the waistband of his boxers down freeing his manhood from its confines. He uttered his own moan of pleasure at her touch. It had only been a week since she'd touched him there but it felt like an eternity. He released her breast from his mouth and once more captured her mouth with his own. His hands skimmed her own panties, easing them downward. His thumb grazed her warm wet core.

He immediately sensed the change in her heartbeat. It went from a rapid beating in excitement to a sudden thud of fear. He felt her body tense up and he pulled his hand away, mentally kicking himself for letting this go so far when he knew she wasn't physically or mental ready for this no matter what she said she wanted.

"I'm sorry, Babe. I'm so sorry." He was breathing heavily.

"Please don't stop. I'm okay. I trust you."

Danny shifted so he was lying on his side, drawing her close to him, his hands rubbing circles on her back. "I know you trust me but you are not okay. I know you want me to make love to you; I know its what your head and your heart wants more than anything but your body isn't there yet. I'm not gonna hurt you. We've got all the time in the world; we don't have to rush into anything."

Lindsay lowered her eyes so he wouldn't see the tears that were forming under her lashes. "I need you to love me." Her voice was pitifully pleading.

Danny pressed his lips to her forehead taking a moment to choose his words carefully. "I do love you so much Lindsay. I'll spend the rest of the night kissin' you and touchin' you if you want me to. But I gotta listen to what your body is telling' me. Please don't get mad at me or think I'm trying to push you away cause that's the last thing I want to do. You feel so good and I love the way your body reacts to the actions its comfortable with. For tonight at least, let me focus on that. Let me make you feel good. The rest can wait until you have healed."

Lindsay nodded softly pressing her lips to his. With a sigh of happiness, Danny proceeded to fulfill his promise to her until a satisfied sleep descended once more over her. Pulling her close to him, he allowed his own body to succumb to sleep.


	31. Chapter 30

Author's Notes: Wow, I remain simply blown away by all of the fantastic reviews I've gotten with each chapter. Exams start tomorrow and I'm looking forward to getting some major writing done while the students are taking their exams. Short chapter but hopefully longer tomorrow.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 30<p>

Lucy came in to the kitchen early the next morning to find her father busy at the stove. She pulled her stepstool close so she could watch him work. "What'cha doing, Daddy?"

Danny wiped his flour covered hands on his apron and gave his daughter a kiss good morning. "I'm making Mommy breakfast in bed. Want to help me?" He knew it was a stupid question; he'd known from the moment that she'd dragged her stool close that she wouldn't be happy unless she could help in some ways. Every since Lindsay had pointed out that he hadn't made her breakfast in bed since Mother's Day just after Lucy was born, he'd made a concerted effort to serve her breakfast at least once a week, even if it was just a bowl of cereal and juice. Today he was making homemade biscuits and that sausage gravy Lindsay loved so much.

He coated Lucy's hands in flour and then gave her a small clump of the biscuit dough to play with while he kneaded the rest. While he worked the dough, he watched in amusement at the amount of concentration his daughter put into copying his movements. Often his mother had comment that Lucy reminded her so much of him when he was a small child and he knew in many ways she did but there were other times that he saw so much of Lindsay in her mannerisms. This was one of those times with her head cocked to one side, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she focused on the task before her. After he put his biscuits on a cookie sheet, he took the one she'd fashioned and proudly placed it next to the others. He quickly brushed some melted butter over the tops and stuck the cookie sheet in the oven.

"Luce, can you set the timer for Daddy? 15 minutes."

Climbing down from her stool, Lucy moved it to the microwave and hit the buttons. It amazed him that at two years of age, she could work the device so easily. Then she looked at Danny. "What now?"

"Now, we just have to wait for it all to cook. You think you can get the big breakfast tray out of the pantry for me?"

Lucy nodded. Once she had retrieved the tray, he allowed her to help him put the plates and silver ware on the tray. All that was missing was the food. While they waited, Danny picked Lucy up and set her on the cabinet and rubbed noses with his little girl. She giggled.

"Daddy? Do you and Mommy gotta work today?

Danny shook his head. "Nope, not today. I have to go to work tomorrow but Mommy will be home until her ouchies get better."

"I go to school?"

Lucy hadn't been to school since the day before the robbery but he wasn't going to worry about it just yet. After all it was preschool and even though she was learning great things in the school they'd selected for her, it wasn't like she was missing anything she couldn't pick up later. "Maybe tomorrow when I go back to work. Would you mind spending the day with your Mommy and me?"

Lucy shook her head. "Mommy might need both of us to make her feels better. Maybe we go to the park later? Mommy likes being outside. Her needs the sunshine."

A wide grin spread over Danny's face. Though he was sure her request had as much to do with Lucy liking the park, he realized that the little girl really did know her mother pretty well. "I think that might be a good idea. We'll see what Mommy thinks after breakfast."

"Aunt Stella could come too. She hasn't seen me climb the big slide. I was too little the last time she went to the park with me."

Danny was glad to see that Lucy hadn't been terribly traumatized by the robbery. She was loving all the extra attention she was getting. He just hoped when it came time for her to go back to school that she wouldn't balk at having to share the attention with her classmates. "I bet she'd like that. Aunt Stella has to go home tomorrow so this will be her last chance to see you slide like the big girl you are."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Daddy, Aunt Stella _is_ home. Silly Daddy, Orleans is just where she works."

That look was so Lindsay that Danny had to laugh. He ruffled her hair. "I know it's hard to believe anyone would choose to call anyplace other than New York home but Aunt Stella has to live in New Orleans now."

The timer went off and Danny lifted Lucy off the counter before checking on the biscuits. Pretty soon, he had the tray all ready to take into Lindsay with enough food for all three of them. "Okay, Luce, let's go wake Mommy up."

"I wake her up." Lucy was all set to run into the bedroom but Danny stopped her with a single call of her name. He put the tray back on the counter and pulled Lucy close to him.

"We have to wake her up gently. We don't want to scare her. No yellin' or jumpin' on the bed."

Lucy nodded and frowned. "Daddy, we can't's wake her up the way you usually do. Her nose is all ouched up. I'll climb on the bed gently and gives her kisses. That be okay?"

Danny gave Lucy's own nose a little poke. "That sounds perfect."

Lucy opened the bedroom door and climbed up in the bed. Danny could tell Lindsay was awake but pretending to be asleep so that Lucy could wake her up. He leaned against the doorframe watching in amusement as Lucy climbed the side of the bed looking for all the world like a rugged mountain climber. Once she had crawled up to Lindsay's head, she put her little hands on either side of her mother's face and gently placed a kiss on her face. Then in an exaggerated whisper, she asked. "Mommy, you 'wake?"

Slowly, Lindsay opened her eyes acting like she was just waking up. She had woken up a few minutes earlier, in time to hear Lucy announcing the plan to wake her up. Not wanting to spoil whatever surprise they had planned for her, she'd pretended to be asleep when she heard them at the door. "Good morning, Baby"

"Mommy," Lucy seemed to be stuck in her stage whisper mode. "I mades you breakfast. Daddy helped me."

The picture of mother and daughter in bed together was so sweet, Danny didn't even protest getting second billing on the cooking. He carried the tray in and set it on the bedside. Belatedly he remembered that Lindsay was almost completely naked under the covers and probably wouldn't want to have to explain the excessive bruising to the little girl. "Lucy, Daddy forgot the salt and pepper. Do you think you could go get them for me?"

Lucy nodded, always ready to be helpful. As soon as she was out of the bedroom, Danny kissed Lindsay and helped her back into the T-shirt. By the time, Lucy returned proudly carrying the two shakers, Lindsay was sitting up against the headboard. Soon the small family was sitting on the bed around the tray. Lucy looked at her mother, beaming proudly. "You like it, Mommy?"

The happiness she felt in that instant surrounded by the two most important people in her world almost completely eclipsed the trauma of the past week. A single tear ran down her cheek. "It's perfect."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

It was midmorning before the family of three with Stella in tow arrived at the park. The toddler excitedly dragged Stella toward the slide to show off her newest skills as soon as they arrived. His arm around Lindsay, Danny led her to a nearby bench. He had sensed a growing apprehension in her since they left the apartment but wasn't sure what exactly was the cause. Once she was snuggled into his side watching their daughter climb the big slide, he rubbed her arm.

"If getting out was too soon, we could have waited. Lucy and I figured you might like the fresh air." He offered, fishing for what was bothering her.

She shook her head. "Lucy was so excited by the idea; I couldn't say no. I'm sorry, Danny; I don't even know what it is. It almost seems surreal being here. This was going to be our next stop after Lucy and I left the bank a week ago. I had been wishing you could have had the day off as well and joined us. If my whole body wasn't so damn sore, I could almost believe my wish came true and it was really last week again."

Danny kissed the top of her head, waving at Lucy as she called to them to watch her go down the slide. "I wish I had some sort of time machine and go could go back and prevent what happened."

Lindsay considered his words. She knew he would do it if he could, but at what cost? "But who knows how long it would have taken us to find and stop them if they hadn't kidnapped me. It was a painful experience that I would never want to go through again but if in the end, it saved lives, maybe it was worth the price."

Danny tightened his hold on her almost afraid to let her go, afraid that this would all disappear and a different reality would take over if he did. "I'm glad they are in jail where they belong but you getting hurt in the process is too costly a price to pay."

Lucy came running over all excited. "Aunt Stella's gonna get me a ice cream. Is that okay? Please, please, please? She said she's so proud how big I gotten."

"Please, please, please." Stella added as she joined them. "I don't get much opportunity to spoil her anymore."

Danny laughed not quite sure which of them was the bigger child. "Sure that's fine as long as I can get one too."

Lucy planted her hands on her hips. "But Daddy, you didn't do anything to show how big you are."

Standing, Danny swooped Lucy up in his arms causing her to giggle. "You want Daddy to show you what a big boy he is by going on the slide?"

Lucy nodded with a laugh. "You slide with me and then maybe Aunt Stella'll get you an ice cream as well."

Stella laughed as well. "Oh definitely."

Lindsay frowned. "What about me? Do I have to slide to get an ice cream?"

"NO!" All three voiced their protests at the exact same time. Lucy added with all the delicacy of a two-year old, "Mommy, you's got ouchies. You can't slide right now. You can have a ice cream just cause I loves you. Come on, Daddy. I race you to the slide."

Danny set Lucy on the ground and as father and daughter raced toward the slide, Lindsay slipped the camera in Stella's hand. "I don't think I can walk over there. Please take pictures of Danny the kid on that slide. I don't think anyone at work would believe it."

Stella laughed. "With pleasure." She moved toward the slide to get the asked-for pictures.

Lindsay watched in contentment as her husband and little girl climbed the slide together. This was what made surviving what happened to her worth it, seeing and living these magical moments with her family. A broad smile broke out over her face as Danny and Lucy waved at her from the top of the slide. She waved back as the pair slid down. Suddenly amidst Lucy's squeals of delight, a sharp staccato of what sounded like gunshots filled the park.

Immediately, Lindsay was transported back to the bank and the moment the robbers entered. She screamed and threw herself on to the ground, covering her head and ears with her hands.


	32. Chapter 31

Author's Notes: I didn't expect this scene to be as long as it was but so much just had to come out. I really thought I was close to the end several chapters ago but it looks like there's still quite a bit for Lindsay to work out. The rest of the team make an appearance in the next chapter. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciative.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 31<p>

Danny's heart skipped a beat when he heard Lindsay scream. He couldn't understand what had prompted it but knew he needed to get to her. The only thing preventing him from doing so was the 30 lb toddler who had suddenly plastered herself to his body, adding her own screams to the mix. From the way her fingers and toes were digging into him, it seemed she wasn't going to be content until she figured out a way to crawl completely inside him. Still unsure what had happened, he drew his arms protectively around her at the same time looking longingly at his wife who needed him as well.

"Daddy, make it stop. Don't let the bad guys shoot us. Go 'rest them."

Realization dawned on him as he remembered vaguely registering the sound of a car backfiring. It must have reminded both Lucy and Lindsay of the shots fired at the bank. So much for his theory the toddler had been completely unaffected.

Stella squeezed his arm. "It's okay; I'll take care of Lindsay."

"It's okay, Princess. No one's gonna hurt you. It was just a car making a funny sound. Kind of like Grampy Monroe's tractor did when we went to visit them, remember?"

She shook her head vehemently, still clinging to him desperately. "No, Daddy. The bad men from the bank is coming after us. I scared."

"Daddy's not gonna let anything happen to his little princess. Please don't be scared, Sweetheart. Everything's gonna be fine. No one is shootin' at you. Please calm down, Sweetie."

Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. "But the bad men tooked Mommy and they gave her ouchies. Why you not stop them? I not like those loud noises. I want Mommy. Where's Mommy? Did the bad men taked her again?"

Her words cut straight to his worst guilt. Though he knew she was just upset and wasn't really accusing him, the truth was that he hadn't been there to stop Lindsay from getting hurt. Though he knew his guilt wasn't rational, it didn't make it hurt any less to know that when his girls had needed him the most, he'd been powerless to help them.

He glanced over at the benches where Stella had gathered a still distraught Lindsay in her own arms. It didn't look like she was having much success with calming her down either. With a sigh, he cupped Lucy's small face in his hands forcing her to look at him. "Mommy is fine, Lucy. The loud noises scared her too but Aunt Stella is with her. I know the other day scared you but you are completely safe now. The bad guys who scared you and hurt Mommy are in jail and they'll never be able to hurt you again."

Lucy hiccupped, tears still streaming down her face but not as hysterically as before. "But there're more bad mens out there. If not you wouldn't have to work ever again. What ifs they come after us too?"

He couldn't dispute her logic. There would always be criminals in the world and he couldn't guarantee that Lucy's life would never again be touched by violence even though he wanted nothing more than to do so. Men like Shane Casey and John Atwood had proven that to him. Two-year-olds were suppose to worry about things their ice cream cones melting too fast or all the bubbles going flat too soon in their bubble bath; they weren't suppose to worry about criminals invading their lives. So how could he make his little girl feel safe without lying to her?

"You don't have to be scared, Lucy. If the bad guys ever do try to hurt you and Mommy again, then I'll hunt them down and arrest them just like we did the men who hurt Mommy this time. Okay?"

Lucy shook her head, squirming out of his grasp to once more bury her head into his chest. Once again she called for her mommy. Tears of frustration and failure filled his eyes as he was once again unable to soothe his own child.

- CSI: NY -

After Stella had reached Lindsay, the older woman had gathered the younger one into her arms in a comforting embrace. She pulled Lindsay's hands from her ears so she would hear that the supposed gunfire had ceased. Instead, Lindsay fought against her hold. Worried that she'd cause her friend pain, Stella released her.

Before she could say anything however, Lindsay started to protest. "Please don't shoot Lucy. Not my baby. Why now, why this bank? Shouldn't have brought Lucy."

"Lindsay, Kiddo, it's okay. No one is shooting at you; it was just a car backfiring. Relax, take a deep breath. It's okay. Lucy is safe; Danny is safe; you are safe; everyone is safe." Stella had to repeat her words like a mantra several times before Lindsay seemed to even hear what she was saying. It scared Stella a little to see how firmly entrenched Lindsay was in the flashback.

Lindsay finally looked around seeing her surroundings as if for the first time. She was breathing hard, her body still trembling. Seeing that she was now aware of her presence, Stella once more hugged her. This time Lindsay didn't fight her but held her tighly. "Where are we?"

"In the park. It's okay; just a car backfiring." Stella repeated for good measure.

"Sounded so real. I could have sworn someone was shooting at us. How could I not tell the difference between gunshots and a car backfiring? That sound is as natural to me as the subway is to Danny."

It was obvious Lindsay was still upset and struggling to figure out reality but Stella was glad to see it was getting better. "I think it's understandable given what you've been through."

"I could feel the tile beneath my feet and smell the gunpowder. It didn't just sound like gunfire; for a moment I was right back there in that bank, sending Lucy to hide in that island that the men started shooting at. I knew she was low enough that the bullets wouldn't hit her but I was so worried about how scared she'd be. Stella, what's wrong with me? Am I losing my mind? How could it have seemed that real?"

Stella hugged her tightly. "Oh, Lindsay, you aren't losing your mind. It's perfectly natural for you to have these reactions. Flashbacks can be very real, especially when you combine the effects of the drugs you were given with the traumatic events you experienced. We've all had the training on recognizing the signs. Doesn't make it any less scary when the signs are coming from within, though does it?"

Lindsay looked around again. "Where's Danny? I figured he'd be here."

"The sounds upset Lucy as well. Danny is calming her down."

Craning her neck, Lindsay saw Danny sitting on the edge of the slide. Even from a distance, she could see how upset Lucy still was. She reached for her cane. "Help me up."

Surprised, Stella stood helping the injured woman to rise. "What are you doing?"

"Going to my baby. She needs me." Without another word she limped over to the slide. Danny looked up as she arrived, an eyebrow raised as if to ask if she was okay. She nodded and motioned for him to hand her Lucy. He shook his head and stood, indicating that Lindsay take his seat. Once she was sitting on the slide, he gingerly transferred the upset toddler into her mother's arms. Lucy hugged Lindsay tightly and then looked up at her through tear-filled eyes.

"I was so scared, Mommy. I not like the gunshots."

Lindsay hugged her tightly, planting kisses on the child's head. Her own injuries were pushed to the side with the need to comfort Lucy. "Me neither. That mean old car fooled both of us and scared us, didn't it? Maybe we should get Daddy to track it down and give it a bad ole spanking. What do you think?"

Lucy seemed to seriously be considering it. Then she shook her head. "Daddy might hurted his hands again if he did. That would make me sad. Maybe it needs a time out instead."

It didn't matter that none of the had even seen the car in question and he would have no way of tracking it down, but if it made Lucy happy, Danny would locate it and have it personally towed to the impound lot on whatever charge he could think of. All his efforts to calm her had been in vain but Lindsay had soothed her simply by holding her close. The power of a mother's love and touch never ceased to amaze him. When he got to witness it with his wife and daughter, it took his breath away.

"Mommy, you was scared too? I didn't think anything scared you 'cept for when you make Daddy killed a spider."

Lindsay forced a small smile. Admitting to being a little frightened would help Lucy know it was okay to have her own fears. However, she didn't think the little girl needed to know the extent of how scared she was, scared not just from the sounds that had forced her into a flashback but of just being out in public again. "Yeah, Sweetheart, that car reminded me of what happened at the bank until Aunt Stella helped me figure out what it really was."

Lucy's lower lip trembled. "I wants to go home. I not like the park or bank anymore. They too scary."

Finally something that Danny could do to feel useful. "I'll go bring the truck right up here to the slide so Mommy doesn't have to walk again."

Stella raised a critical eyebrow and argued. "The road doesn't come over this way."

With somewhat of a glare, Danny snapped back. "I got blue lights on the Avalanche. I can take that damn truck wherever the hell I want to."

"Daddy said two bad words." Her eyes wide, Lucy stage whispered to Lindsay who nodded.

"He'll have to put two quarters in the 'nice words only' jar, won't he?"

He sighed. What was it about seeing either of his girls upset that made him snap at his best friends? He seemed to be making a habit of it lately. He's was going to spout off one time too many and he was going to find himself picking himself up off the floor from a well-deserved punch. "Sorry for snapping and sorry for my words. There's just no sense in you having to walk all the way back to the truck. Won't be the first time that truck has been on grass."

Lindsay brushed Lucy's tears away with her thumb and gave her sad smile. "Lucy, you don't really want to go home, do you? I know you were scared. Mommy was scared too but are we really going to let something so silly scare us away from one of our favorite places?"

Lucy nodded. Danny shoved his hands in his pockets, hooking his thumbs through the loops. He wasn't sure what Lindsay was doing. He could tell she wanted to leave just as much as Lucy did, had since the moment they arrived. Why put herself and Lucy through this trauma? Her body was still trembling from the fright she'd had. What would it hurt to give in to Lucy just this once? She was only two, by the next day she would be over her fear and ready to play in the park again.

With a shrug, Lindsay frowned. "Well, tough. We came here to have fun and we're not leaving until we've had a morning full of it. Now, which will it be, monkey bars or swings?"

Danny's mouth dropped open. Did Lindsay really just order their daughter to have fun or else? What parenting book did she get that out of? The two year old eyes grew wide with fear. "But Mommy, I's scared. Please, we go home and we have fun there?"

A fist tightened around Lindsay's heart. She could tell Danny would have already had them loaded in the truck if he had his way. But she knew it would cause more harm than not to allow Lucy to run from her fears even for a moment. Case in point, she wanted nothing more than to go home, crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head until all her own fears subsided. She gave Lucy a kiss. "I'll be brave if you'll be brave."

It was the same thing she told Lucy every time they went to the doctor when she knew the two-year-old would probably get a shot. Lucy looked at her for several minutes and then finally nodded. "I be brave. I'll play on monkey bars. Aunt Stella, you help me climb up?"

Stella smiled and offered the little girl her hand. As they made their way the short distance to the monkey bars, Danny knelt in front of Lindsay. "You okay? I can tell you are still a little freaked out by what happened. We don't have to stay. I get the whole 'get back up on the horse' idea but I don't think this will keep Lucy from ever coming back to the park again."

A single tear ran down Lindsay's cheek. "No Danny, I'm not okay. I'm a cop and guns are part of my job. How can I do that job if a simple car backfiring upsets me this much? I'm scared Danny scared that this is going to keep me from being able to do my job. Part of my insistence that we stay has to do with trying to teach Lucy that it's okay to be scared but that you can't let that fear control you. The other part is about teaching myself that same lesson. Cause I got to be honest with you, Danny; if I gave in to the fear I'm feeling right now, I might not ever leave the apartment again. ? "

He helped her rise to her feet and then sat back down on the edge of the slide pulling her into his lap holding her close. "Linds, I think you are being too hard on yourself. You went through a terrible thing; I'd be more worried if you weren't feeling scared. I think you are expecting to snap back immediately but it's not that easy. But at the same time, it's too soon to worry about the long-term effects. It hasn't even been a week since you were rescued, way too soon to worry about the effect it'll have on your job. Don't worry about things that haven't become a problem yet. You've got at least another week or two before Mac will even let you back in the lab, several more weeks after that before you go back in the field. Concentrate on the right now. If you need to hide in the apartment for a day or two, it's not a bad thing. I won't let you hide for ever. You aren't the only one that can give someone a kick in the pants when needed."

Lindsay wrapped Danny's arms closer around her. "I know and I appreciate and love you for it. I had no control on what they did to me but I can control how I react to it. I'm not going to give _him_ the satisfaction of changing my life even for a day or two. I know it's going to be hard, maybe harder than anything I've done yet in my life but it's something I have to do."

"You don't have to prove anything to anybody." Danny cautioned her.

She stretched up to kiss him and then snuggled closer to him. "I have to prove it to myself." Then her voice got a little smaller as she admitted. "Maybe, though, I should give Michelle a call; maybe try a session or two with her besides the group meeting?"

Danny closed his eyes, knowing how hard it was for her to admit that she might need the help. "I think that would be a great thing. I'm so proud of you, Linds. I've known what a strong person you were since almost the day I met you but I didn't know how strong you really are until now."

For just a moment Lindsay watched Lucy trying to reach from one bar to the next, her delighted laughter crossing the distance. Obviously she had gotten past her initial fear and was following Lindsay's command to have fun. Lindsay was glad to see that Lucy wasn't going to let her fears control her. She just wished it was easy to follow the command herself. Then she sighed. "I don't feel that strong. I feel pretty weak."

"You're strong enough to admit when you are weak. That's real strength."

"Mommy, Daddy, come watch me."

Lindsay stood and waited for Danny to stand as well. His arms still wrapped around her, they started to walk toward the monkey bars. Lindsay shook her head. "As much as I love you holding me like this, if she calls out 'look ma, no hands' promise me you'll be underneath her in time to catch her."

Danny's throaty chuckle tickled her ear. "Promise."


	33. Chapter 32

Author's Notes: Sorry for the weekend delay, part of it was chaperoning the 8th grade dance and part of it was that I spent time going back and re-reading the previous 31 chapters. I didn't realize how much time it would take. I had visions of where I wanted to go with this chapter but the actual writing of it was difficult. I hope you enjoy it. As always reviews are welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 32<p>

"We don't have to go." Danny reminded Lindsay for what felt like the one hundredth time in the last hour. "Everyone, especially Stella, would understand."

Lindsay sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes tearing up. Stella was scheduled to leave the next day to return to New Orleans and everyone was gathering at Carbello's to send her off with a "Bon Voyage Again" party. It was sure to be a loud, boisterous affair and Danny knew that Lindsay was dreading going despite her protests to the contrary.

"I wouldn't understand." Lindsay argued. "Stella came all this way to check on me. She's been so helpful and understanding through this and now she's going home. I know she feels bad about leaving; feels like I need her to stay longer. I have to go tonight so she knows I'm going to be okay."

Danny sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her. "She knows you are going to be okay- we all do, but she also knows right now you aren't there yet. That's not going to change whether she stays or leaves tomorrow. We both know there's no stopping her once Stella Bonasera makes up her mind about something. If she believed for one second you needed her to stay longer nothing would make her leave. Whether you go or not tonight is not going to change that."

"I can't avoid things just because I'm afraid; I'll miss out on too much. Look at how much fun Lucy had today even after wanting to leave the park. Not even ten minutes after she was demanding to leave, she was having the time of her life."

Danny chose his words carefully, not wanting to upset Lindsay but reassure her. True, the two-year-old had bounced back very quickly from her fright at the park but it hadn't been as easy for Lindsay. Even now he could still feel a slight tremble in her body. "Kind of a different situation. It was a park, expecting Lucy not to have fun would be like expecting Flack to behave at a weekend retreat to the Playboy mansion."

Lindsay wrinkled her nose in disgust while laughing at the same time. "Could we not use our daughter's name in the same sentence as the Playboy mansion?"

Danny shook his head with a chuckle. "Yeah, that sounded so wrong even as I was saying it. But you get my point. We don't have to go if you don't want to."

With a deep sigh that spoke to how upsetting this truly was to her, Lindsay leaned against him. "I want to go. I really do. The whole team together for a night of fun and laughs. I guess the last time we actually got to do that was when Stella left the first time. It sounds so blessedly normal and what I need. It's the whole idea of going and being around people that has me anxious. I don't want to miss out on a fun night because I let my fears get the better of me."

Danny could hear what she wasn't saying. She didn't want him to keep pushing her on the subject. She was having a difficult enough time fighting herself, she couldn't fight him as well. The truth was he was looking forward to a night out; it was a tradition to celebrate the closing of a tough case that had stressed the whole team for weeks on end. No case had ever seemed tougher than this one and it would feel good to put a traditional 'job well done' on it. Especially considering that in this particular case failure wasn't an option he and especially Lindsay could live with. He just didn't want Lindsay to feel miserable because she was trying so hard to be okay again. "Fake it til you make it' might work sometimes but it wasn't always the best prescription. But he heeded her unspoken pleading and dropped his protests.

Lucy took that moment to come in to the bedroom. Both adults did a double take at their little girl. She apparently had given a lot of thought to Lindsay's statement that she would have to dress up for the restaurant they were going to. She had rummaged through her costume box and pulled out her Cinderella dress that she'd worn for Halloween the previous years. With that she had added her arm length orange gloves and all the bead necklaces she could find in her dress-up box. A pair of purple sunglasses rested on her nose. Somehow she'd also gotten a pair of Lindsay low-heeled pumps and was trying to walk in them.

"I's so pretty, Daddy. Mommy, can I wears you make-up?"

Danny had to hide his laugh. "You are pretty something, that's for sure, Lucy. Remind me, Babe, who'd she get that great fashion sense from?" Lindsay elbowed him in the ribs.

"Lucy, what happened to the pretty sundress I put out for you to wear? Aunt Stella sent it to you and I'm pretty sure it would make her very happy to see you wearing it. How about I help you and then maybe I'll let you wear a little bit of my make-up."

Danny stood up from the bed kissing the top of her head. "You need to get dressed yourself. I'll get our little princess changed."

Alone in the bedroom, Lindsay removed her t-shirt and jeans. She avoided looking in a mirror as she slipped on the emerald green dress. She loved the way it flowed around her and the fact that it not only covered all her bruises but also looked good with black boots. Heels with her sore hip and ribs wouldn't have worked well. Applying her make-up was difficult with the big bandage splinting her nose. She would be glad when she was able to shed the bandage there.

Lucy came running back into the room wearing the floral sundress. Danny had put a small white sweater over the dress and Lindsay couldn't help but wonder how much of it had to do with him worrying she might be a little chilled in the restaurant or how much of it was that he couldn't stand to see her in a sundress even at the age of two. "I still looks pretty, Mommy?"

Lindsay gingerly pulled her up in her lap and kissed her nose. In the mirror, she could see Danny's look of disapproval of her picking Lucy up but she ignored it. An irrational part of her said that if she was going to force herself to endure things she was terrified of doing in order to feel better then it was okay to feel a little pain in order to do something she really wanted to do. Picking up her powder brush, she dabbed it over Lucy's face to make her feel like she had make-up on as well. "You always look beautiful, Lucy."

Lucy beamed. "You are the most prettiest Mommy in the whole wide world. And Daddy is the most handsomest. I's the luckiest little girl cause I belongs to both of you."

Lindsay hugged her tightly. "I'd say Mommy and Daddy are the lucky ones to have the most bestest little girl. What do you think, Daddy?"

Danny crossed the bed room to hug them both. "I think all the guys are going to be so jealous of me cause I'll have the best lookin' dates at the restaurant. Give me two seconds to change my shirt and grab my sports jacket."

Lindsay stood still holding Lucy. Yes, the pain was intense but it hurt to do nothing so what was the harm? Lucy looked at her as they left the bedroom. "Who's all coming to eat with us?"

"Uncle Mac and Aunt Stella. Aunt Jo and her daughter Ellie. Uncle Sid and his wife, Miss Alice. Uncle Sheldon and his friend Miss Camille. Uncle Flack and Uncle Adam, you, me, and Daddy." Lindsay counted them off making sure she didn't leave anyone out.

Lucy's eyes got wide. "Will they have a table big enough for all of us? I hope they cooked a lot of food."

Lindsay thought it did sound like a lot of people, especially when you figured in all the people who wouldn't be in their party. Her stomach turned flips; she was the one insisting they go but she was positive she wouldn't be able to each much. "Don't worry, Baby. Uncle Mac called them earlier so they'd be ready for us."

Lucy's smile was bright. "Unc'a Mac thinks of everything."

Danny emerged from the bedroom pulling on his sports jacket. He took Lucy from Lindsay, giving his wife a kiss. "Mac just called. He's pulling up downstairs with Stella."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the balcony. Dinner, as she had expected, had been busy and noisy not only with their own group but from the other patrons as well. She had plastered on a smile and did her best to join in on the conversations but there were several times when it had taken every ounce of self-control not to run screaming out of the restaurant. She didn't think anyone had noticed except for Danny but apparently Stella had. After dinner was over, everyone was ready to go to Cozy's for drinks. Using the excuse that Lucy and Ellie wouldn't be allowed in the bar and that would eliminate almost half the crowd, Stella had suggested they move the party to her hotel room instead. Flack and Adam had went on a supply run and had promised to meet them there. Lindsay realized that the underage members of the party weren't Stella's only consideration for making the suggestion. Stella had noticed how the noise was affecting her but realized Lindsay would never readily admit to being uncomfortable.

Now they were at the hotel waiting for the men to arrive with the alcohol and snacks. She herself wouldn't be imbibing although downing a fifth of whiskey didn't sound like a bad thing right then. But with the pain medication she was taking, she couldn't risk mixing it with alcohol. The hotel room was spacious but seemed miniscule with eleven people filling the suite area and would only get worse once Flack and Adam arrived and everyone started drinking. So Lindsay had retreated to the balcony to catch her breath. She figured her solitude wouldn't last long before someone came out to check on her but she would enjoy it while it lasted.

How long would it take before she would feel comfortable out in public again? How long before random loud sounds wouldn't send her right back to the day of the robbery? At the restaurant, a busboy had dropped a platter of plates; no one else seemed to have even noticed it but Lindsay had almost dived under the table before she caught herself. For once not even Danny had noticed her distress as he was preoccupied cutting up Lucy's meat for her. She was grateful for that because she wasn't sure she could explain her reactions or defend herself against their concerns. Even though she knew it would take time before her reactions normalized but she was ready for it to be better now. She didn't want Atwood to have any more hold on her.

"Lindsay?" Stella stood at the sliding door. She joined her friend at the railing. "I miss the bright lights sometimes. New Orleans has its own charms but it just doesn't have the view the city has."

"At least I bet you get to see a few more of the stars. That's what I miss about Montana. A clear night like tonight and you'd be able to see almost every star out there. Sometimes when I was a kid I would lay on the ground looking up at the stars and the moon. For a while I wanted to be an astronaut and travel to the moon."

Stella turned her back to the view and looked at her friend. "Ever wish you really had?"

Lindsay shrugged. "This week? Several times I just wished I was on the moon or anywhere but right where I was at the moment. But no, I don't regret any of the decisions I made. It would be like wishing I didn't have Danny or Lucy in my life or friends like you. Right now, the people I love are the ones getting me through this nightmare."

Stella reached out and touched Lindsay's arm. "I don't have to leave tomorrow if you want me to stay. I know tomorrow is going to be hard; I'm leaving first thing in the morning, Danny's going back to work, Lucy back to school. I can postpone leaving a day or two if you want me to stay."

"Thank you for not saying if I 'needed' you to stay. Stella, you being here the past few days has been the best medicine for me. Of course I want you to stay. I want you to move back to New York permanently but that's not fair to you. You have a great job and a great life back in New Orleans. I'm sure Brady is ready for you to come home." A teasing smile flirted with her lips. During one of their many talks during the week, Stella had admitted to having a new boyfriend. In fact, one of the things that Lindsay had loved most about having Stella here was that while her friend had made it clear she would listen if Lindsay wanted to talk about what had happened, she hadn't pushed her. Instead, most of their talks had centered around ordinary topics.

Stella turned red. She'd started dating Brady McWilliams a month ago and had told Lindsay all about the Assistant District Attorney who had captured her attention. It was still too early to know if anything was going to come of the relationship but they were still in the fun stages. When she'd told him about being injured, he had wanted to fly out to New York to check on her. If he hadn't been involved in a big court case, he probably would have. "He understands I needed to be here. If I stayed a couple more days, it wouldn't be a problem."

Lindsay shook her head. "I'd rather you saved your days for a more fun time. Maybe in a few months Danny, Lucy and I can come down there to visit you and you can take some time off then. We can meet Brady and give him an official Messer seal of approval or at least properly warn him what would happen if he ever hurts you in any way."

Stella hugged her tightly. "I'll still only be a phone call away. You can call me any time of the day or night if you need to talk."

"You know I will." The two women broke the embrace and Stella glanced back into the suite.

"I guess I should get back inside. You coming or do you still need a little time?"

"I think I'll stay out here just a little longer. It's peaceful out here and I think it's what I need right now."

Stella had only been inside about ten minutes when Lindsay heard a scrape of someone's shoes crossing the threshold and then strong arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her close. She relaxed against her husband, knowing it was Danny without him saying a word. She knew he had purposefully made a noise coming out so he wouldn't startle her. The beer bottle in his hand was cool against her arm.

"You okay, Babe?" His voice was low and husky in her ear.

That was another thing she hated about the situation; any other time nothing would be said about her stepping outside for a few minutes. But now, she felt like every reaction she had was under a microscope from all her friends. She bit back a retort knowing it was only because they cared that they were so concerned. She slumped.

"I don't mean to be a party pooper. I just needed a breather. I love everyone to death but how is it that I've never noticed how loud we are when we get together?"

Danny chuckled. "Probably cause you and I are usually among the loudest. No one thinks you are a party pooper, Linds. In fact most of the gang is amazed at how quickly you seem to have recovered. You deserve some sort of Academy award for your performance at the restaurant. I know you were uncomfortable but it never showed. I wondered why you decided to split a plate with Lucy until I realized she ate more of it than you did."

"I think I overdid it a little today." Lindsay admitted ruefully.

"You think?" The retort came out before he could stop himself. Instantly he regretted saying it but instead of stiffening as he feared she would, she let out a snort of laughter.

"Asshole." She muttered good-naturedly.

He nuzzled her neck affectionately. "Babe, you want so much for things to be normal and overdoing things is something that is so normal for you. You always push yourself too hard until you are either physically or emotionally spent, this time it's probably a lot of both. You give until you have nothing left to give. This isn't really much different although your breaking point might just be a little lower than usual right now and your recovery time a little longer."

"I should probably go into work with you tomorrow."

"Hell no. Mac would skin both our heads." Danny took a swig of his beer then set the bottle on the railing. He could feel that she was getting chilled so he slid out of his sports jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders before pulling her close again.

Lindsay picked up his bottle and drank the last long swallow knowing the little bit of alcohol wouldn't hurt and could possible soothe her rattle nerves a small fraction. "Not to work. I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment. But something Jo said at dinner made me think. I've never given my statement about what happened. I should have already given it and I'm betting the only reason I haven't even been asked about it is that everyone is worried about upsetting me."

"There's no hurry for that." Danny reminded her. "It can wait until you are ready."

Lindsay turned around in his arms so she could look in his eyes. "Quit thinking like my husband and think like the cop you are. Witness statements are best when the event is still fresh in their minds. To be honest, I'll never be ready to give it but I know I have to. I don't want to give a defense attorney any ammunition that could be used to get those bastards off. We've already seen the lengths he'll go to. Besides, maybe we can get Michelle to come in as well. She and you can be in the observation room and Flack can take my statement. That way I can tell the whole story once and be done with it. I won't have to keep repeating it over and over again."

Danny sighed knowing it was a battle he had no hope of winning. "I'll see what Mac has to say if we are ever able to extract our daughter from his arms."

She gave him a quizzical look until he twisted enough that she could see into the suite. Lucy had climbed into Mac's lap as he was sitting in a soft chair near the couch. She had fallen asleep with one thumb in her mouth and her other hand squeezing his nose Though the image was comical, it didn't surprise either parent that their boss seemed completely at ease with the sleeping toddler in his arms.

"As soon as she fell asleep, at least five people reached for their cell phones to take pictures but Mac threatened dumpster duty to anyone who actually took the picture. Don't worry though, Alice Hammerback said she was pretty sure Mac wouldn't be able to send her dumpster diving and proceeded to snap several pictures. She promised to send them to my phone."

With a laugh, Lindsay melted against him. She knew she was lucky to have such a loving family and supportive friends. No matter what happened they would see her through this.

Flack appeared at the door. "I hate to intrude but I need to talk to the two of you about something. I've been putting this off all night."

Danny sat in the straight back chair and pulled Lindsay comfortably in his lap. He motioned for Flack to take the other seat. "What's up?"

Lindsay gripped Danny's arm. "Don't tell me Atwood escaped again."

Flack winced. "Hell no. He's not going anywhere anytime soon. I talked to Judge Hendricks today. Finn Bestly is having his first court appearance and the Judge wants Lindsay to give a victim's impact statement. In fact, he wanted to subpoena you but I talked him into letting me ask you to come in."

Resting her head on Danny's shoulder, Lindsay looked confused. "Who's Finn Bestly?"

Realizing they had pretty much not told the couple what was going on with that situation, Flack quickly explained. "He's the reporter who leaked the story. Besides those of us that know and love you, he pissed off a lot of high ranking people who want to make sure he never makes that same mistake again. He's been charged with endangerment. All you have to do tomorrow is tell the judge what effect his story had on the treatment you received."

Lindsay's eyes narrowed as she glared at him. He knew what Atwood had tried to do to her because he knew she was a cop. How could he ask her to talk about it in front of people? "And if I choose not to?"

Flack sighed. He'd had a feeling that Lindsay was going to balk at the idea of talking about what happened to her. "I was able to convince Judge Hendricks to question you in chambers. It'll just be the two of you and a court reporter. If you don't appear, then he'll issue the subpoena and you'll be compelled to testify in the actual courtroom."

Lindsay pushed herself up from Danny's lap and went back to the railing. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over. She expected Danny to be at her side in an instant but when he stayed in his seat she realized that he had wisely sensed that she needed the moment uninterrupted. Just moments before she'd been telling Danny that she needed to give her statement and now she was going to be forced to do so in a court of law. Finally she brushed the tears away and turned back to the two men. "Just me and the judge?"

Wishing he could take this away from her completely, Flack nodded. "And the court reporter who'll take your statement. I'm sorry, Linds. I know it's asking a lot of you but I tried to make it as easy on you as I could."

Danny looked from Lindsay to Flack, wanting to go to her and make this all better but knowing she needed the space for just a moment. "What time tomorrow? I'll clear it with Mac to be off."

"No." Lindsay's voice was quiet but firm. "Tomorrow is your first day back at work; it's not fair to ask for the time off. I'll be fine by myself."

Flack shook his head. "It's at eight in the morning. You won't be by yourself. I have to be there to testify as well so I'll be there with you at least until you go into the judge's chamber."

"Doesn't look like I have much of a choice." Lindsay said resigned.


	34. Chapter 33

Author's notes: I had a perfect vision of this chapter in my head before I started writing it. The emotions seemed so real as I was imagining what was happening. I only hope those emotions come out even a fraction as well in the writing of the chapter as they were in my imagination. As always reviews are welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 33<p>

"Geez, Lindsay, are your hands always this cold? There're like blocks of ice." Flack complained good-naturedly as he grasped her small hand in his larger one. She almost pulled away but he wouldn't let it go. "Keep it there, maybe I can warm it up before you have to go to the judge's chambers. I know how tough this is gonna be on you." He paused and shook his head. "That's a lie. I have no idea what it's gonna be like for you but I imagine it's gonna be rough as hell. You gonna be okay in there with him?"

She nodded. She'd testified a few times in his court and she knew why Flack was concerned. Hendricks was a large, imposing man who would be most intimidating if it weren't for his teddy bear personality. She trusted he would make it as easy on her as he could but given the circumstances easy would be a relative term. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you are here."

He smiled softly. "The look on Danny's face when I picked you up at the lab said he wasn't happy that it wasn't him. I almost feel sorry for anyone who crosses his path today."

"He's mad because I insisted he stay at work. Last night when Mac heard about the hearing he offered to give Danny today off and get someone else in to cover his shift. I refused to let him do it. Everyone has already been pulling double and triple shifts to cover both of us and Danny going back to work is only going to slightly make the work load easier. I know no one would have minded working one more shift for Danny but I would have felt guilty about it. Right now I can't handle any more on my plate."

"I can't see Danny getting mad at you about anything right now. I think he'd rather take a baseball bat to his Harley than snap at you."

Lindsay remembered waking up in a cold sweat around 3 in the morning after what felt like the thousandth nightmare of the night. She'd reached for Danny but found the bed empty. She'd gone looking for him and found him in the spare bedroom pounding away on the newly purchased punching bag he'd hung in the empty closet. "I wish he would get mad at me. He won't lash out at me when he's angry so it just builds up in him until he finds something or someone else he can take it out on. I know how much this is hurting him as well and sometimes I know I can be difficult to be around. I don't want him holding back because he's afraid he'll hurt me."

Flack didn't point out that she'd basically been the same way after the shooting. He knew for a fact there were several times Danny had purposely tried to pick fights just trying to get her to lash back in anger. It had taken several weeks, but when she finally did, Danny had confided in Flack that he felt like he was firmly on the road to recovery. He knew they had a long way to go before they both completely recovered from this experience but he was sure that they'd figure their way through this.

Finn Bestly walked into the courtroom with a beautiful woman and a small boy in tow. Flack figured the former reporter was hoping to show the judge that he was a family man so that the judge would show some leniency. Flack was surprised but not the least bit sorry to see bruises on the man's face. From the stiff walk, it was obvious Bestly was suffering from his own set of bruised ribs. Someone had obviously beaten him very recently. Flack wondered who.

Lindsay stared at the little boy; he looked to be about 9 or 10, and was shifting uncomfortably in the suit no doubt his mother had insisted he wore. It made her wonder about Atwood's first trial twenty years ago. Had Junior sat in a similar courtroom wearing a similar suit waiting on a verdict that would take his father away and irreparably change his life for the worse? Would this little boy have to spend the rest of his life paying for his father's mistake?

She could feel her pulse quicken and her breath catching in her throat. She forced herself to turn away and look at Flack who was watching her in concern. She shook her head. "Why are we doing this? He's not the first reporter to leak information we didn't want released. Sometimes it's even information that destroys a case for us. We don't go and arrest reporters every time it happens. Why him? Why now? Retribution because a cop was involved?"

"Don't. Don't feel sorry for him. He didn't just jeopardize a case; he jeopardized your life. He put a target on your back. The arrogant SOB didn't even feel bad about it when I questioned him. Maybe if we had prosecuted a few of those other cases, reporters would think twice before playing Russian Roulette with people's lives."

"Detective Messer? Judge Hendricks is ready for you in his chambers."

Flack raised her hand to his lips for a reassuring kiss before releasing it. He watched her rise and follow the bailiff, glad to see her able to do so without the aid of the cane even if she still had a noticeable limp. He didn't know where Bestly had gotten the bruises but he wanted to send the giver a thank-you basket for the job well done. He noticed the former reporter averted his eyes as Lindsay walked by, unable to look at her.

The bailiff led Lindsay down a long hallway to a small office. Holding the door open, he motioned her in. The small steps she was taking had little to do with the lingering pain in her hip but with the dread she felt about not only this statement but the one she would make later at the station to Flack. She was hurting more this morning simply because she had refrained from taking any of her pain medication. She didn't want lawyers to use an argument that the narcotics had affected her statement.

Judge Hendricks was on the telephone but he motioned for her to come in and take a seat. The court reporter was sitting to the side, setting up her equipment. As their job seemed to call for, her presence was almost unobtrusive or even noticeable.

Lindsay eased into the leather bound chair and looked around the office. She'd never been inside a judge's chambers before but she'd always imagined it would be bigger. The walls seemed to be closing in on her as her breathing quickened. Even though Hendricks was talking too quietly on the phone for her to hear his exact words, the deep timbre of his voice still floated over her.

Why had she insisted Danny stay away? He had wanted to come and had even gotten permission from Mac to accompany her. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Even if he hadn't been able to accompany her into the judge's chambers, knowing he was just down the hall would have felt reassuringly safe. Perhaps his presence might be enough to stem the growing sense of panic she could feel building up inside her.

_Relax, Lindsay._ She tried to tell herself. _He's just going to ask you a few questions. Nothing to get upset over. You've already survived the worst of it. The telling of it can't hurt you any worse. _Soon it would be over and Flack would take her back to the lab where Danny would insist on fussing over her before allowing Flack to take her statement. This time she wouldn't protest at all.

The judge hung up the phone and Lindsay jumped at the sound. He smiled at her. "Sorry about that. I appreciate you coming in this morning, Detective Messer. I know this has been a traumatic experience and I hate to add to it."

_Sorry about that_. Atwood had used those same words. She could almost feel his hand touching the bite mark on her breast. _Sorry about that. _Sorry was suppose to make things better, indicating remorse. Why was it that sorry made things worse for her? She stared at a spot on the wooden floor, lost in her memories.

Sensing something was wrong, Hendricks rose from his desk and crossed to the other side, stopping at his desk to fill a glass with water from a pitcher. He knelt in front of her careful to keep a couple of feet between himself and the distraught woman. She'd been through enough and he didn't want to add to her distress by invading her personal space and making her uncomfortable. "Detective Messer? Are you okay? Here, try drinking this."

Lindsay stared at the judge who seemed to tower over her even while kneeling. The small part of her brain that still seem to be thinking clearly recognized he was doing everything to avoid upsetting her but her panic filled side felt like he was too close and threatening. Suddenly it seemed too difficult to fully catch her breath. Wasn't there suppose to be a court reporter in the room as well? Why had she left her alone with this monster of a man who intended to do who knows what to her? She looked at the glass of water in his hand and knew the danger it posed. _Anybody thirsty?_ Junior's offer of water had seemed innocuous until after he'd forced the contents of the plastic bottle down her throat. What was in this water? Drink that and it was like asking for the nightmare to come back strong. Reaching out she knocked the offending glass from his hands. It shattered as it hit the wooden floor, it's contents running everywhere. The room seemed to be spinning out of control and the images before her eyes faded in and out.

Hendricks stepped back to his desk. He looked at his court reporter who looked stunned at how quickly the situation had gotten out of hand. He frowned. "She's hyperventilating. Probably a panic attack."

"Want me to see who's here with her?" The woman looked eager to leave the room.

The judge shook his head. "I'll do it. Try talking to her; she might calm down easier if there's only a female in the room with her."

The two traded places but Lindsay was oblivious to the change. She felt as if she was falling down some deep dark bottomless hole and if she fell much farther there would be no climbing out of it. But just when she thought she was beyond reach, strong, protective arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her close. Even in her emotional distress she recognized the safety of them and melted against the arms' owner. The sound of a deep, husky voice offered reassurances over her head; she couldn't make out the actual words but knew the voice and knew it was going to be okay. He would make sure it was okay.

She wanted to acknowledge the voice, let him know she heard him and was trying to come back to him but her voice wouldn't work other than to make low keening cries. She could hear other voices but focused only on the one voice that was an anchor point to keep her from floating too far away.

She wasn't aware of how much time passed as she simply clung to her safety line before another glass was pressed to her lips. The same comforting voice was trying to tell her something and she realized she was being asked to drink something once again. Realizing that this was orange juice instead of water, she did as the voice suggested. By the time glass was empty of the pulpy sweetness, the panic and dizziness began to easy and she was more aware of her surroundings.

"You back with us now?" Now the words as well as the concern made sense.

She pulled back to look into the concerned eyes of her husband. "I don't know how you knew to be here but I'm so glad you are."

He crushed her against his chest once more. He had expected her to fuss at him for not listening to her wishes but was willing to defend his decision. He just hadn't been able to shake the feeling of foreboding about this hearing all night and it had only gotten worse after Flack had left with Lindsay. Twenty minutes after he kissed her goodbye, he realized he was fighting a losing battle with his emotions. He went to Mac's office ready to beg for permission to leave. Their boss and friend had taken one look at his face and knew what he needed. Before Danny could make his request, Mac handed his a folder.

"_I'm glad you are here. Can you run this report to the courthouse for me? Judge Myers needs it right away."_

He had flashed Mac a grateful smile and practically ran out of the lab. He barely remembered the drive to the courthouse. He'd just delivered the file when Judge Hendricks came out of his office looking worried. He had recognized Danny and told him Lindsay needed him. Once in the courtroom, Danny gathered her in his arms gently. He wasn't even sure how aware Lindsay was of his presence but she had clung to him almost desperately from the moment he'd taken her in his arms. He had asked the judge to send for Flack as well so that their friend wouldn't worry. After he had arrived, the court reporter had suggested that perhaps her blood sugar had dropped and offered to get her some juice. It hadn't taken long after getting Lindsay to drink the orange juice that she seemed more aware of her surroundings.

"You're okay, Sweetheart. You hardly slept at all last night and breakfast yesterday was the last substantial meal you've eaten. Your whole system was primed for a bad reaction. Answering questions about what happened was just too much on top of that."

"I hadn't even started asking questions yet." Judge Hendricks admitted. He was once more behind his desk, not wanting to upset Lindsay again. "Detective Messer, I'm sorry if anything I said or did precipitated your distress. This was obviously too soon. We can reschedule."

Lindsay shook her head. "Can we please just get this over with? I'm sorry I scared everyone but I'd rather do this now. It's not going to be any easier if we wait. But," her tone was plaintive, "can Danny please stay?"

The judge smiled. He knew Taylor's people at the crime lab were the best and she was obviously no exception. "Whatever you want. Do you need anything first? More juice, a trip to the ladies' room to splash your face? You are still a little pale."

A courthouse bathroom was the last place Lindsay wanted to be. A hard shudder ran down her spine at the thought of the last public restroom she was in. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Okay then. Detective Flack, will you explain to my bailiff that we will still be a few minutes. I'm sure the lawyers are getting restless and wondering what's keeping us."

Flack nodded and gave Lindsay's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He was glad Danny was there; he wasn't sure he would have been able to help Lindsay the way just Danny's presence had.

The door was closed and the court reporter was in position. Danny settled Lindsay back in her chair and pulled another close to her. He put his arm around her shoulder, still holding her as close as the two chairs would allow him. He kissed the side of her head.

"Detective Messer, I'm not going to ask you about your whole time in captivity. I just need to know about the parts that concern the revelation of your occupation as a cop. When you were taken hostage, were your captors aware that you were a cop?"

"Junior was." Lindsay admitted. Then she realized the name she'd heard him called during her captivity wasn't his official name. "I mean, John Atwood, Jr. He's the one who chose me as his hostage. He recognized me from crime scenes I had worked processing the previous victims. None of the others knew; he didn't want them upset with him for possibly 'jeopardizing their mission' as he put it. I really think he was hoping to be caught."

"But the others became aware of the information anyway?"

Lindsay nodded then remembered the court reporter. "Yes. I guess it was after they dumped the bodies. They came back in and the leader was very upset. He had heard a news report that one of us was a cop. He threatened to hurt Carla if I didn't come forward."

"Did he hurt you when you admitted to being a cop?"

Reaching over, Lindsay took Danny's free hand and squeezed it tightly. "Not right then. He wanted to; he cut my shirt, but his son stopped him. Said he hadn't had the opportunity to "try me out" yet."

She felt Danny stiffen at her words and quickly rushed on. "I thought I was about to be raped but Junior said he didn't rape his victims. He said he didn't need to rape women to have sex and he didn't want to break that rule with a 'pig' as he called me."

Hendricks hated having to keep pressing her to relive what happened to her. But he had to know the full effects Bestly's actions had on this case. "When I asked if you were hurt because you were a cop, you answered not right then. Does that mean you were hurt later?"

"Yes. It was like Atwood fixated on me because I was a cop. He kept calling me Copper. He came in later and was about to rape me in front of everybody. Technically what he did to me would count as a rape. Again, his son stopped him before I was hurt too badly."

"You are aware of what previous victims went through. Did anything happen to you that based on that knowledge wouldn't have happened if they hadn't discovered you were a cop?"

"He threatened to sodomize me with a nightstick as payback for treatment he received from a guard when he was sent to Rikers." She said it in a rush so that all the words would come out.

"Son of a bitch. Shit, Linds." Danny blurted out. Why hadn't he hurt Atwood when he had the chance? He knew from Michelle's report after the rape exam that some sort of rectal attack had been attempted but he hadn't been prepared for that information.

She looked up at him, fear reflecting in her eyes, her heart rate quickening once more. She forgot all about the judge and court reporter. The only one in the room that mattered was Danny. "He wasn't successful. He was stopped before he could carry out his threat. And then he was arrested before he could come back and finish what he had started. I was so scared and felt so powerless. I'm so sorry, Danny; I wanted to fight him but I couldn't. The drugs wouldn't let my body respond to my brain's commands to fight him."

Danny pulled her close to him once again as she dissolved into a fit of sobs. His own tears were streaming down his face as he realized the extent of the hell his wife had endured. He looked at the judge. Hendricks was wiping his own eyes and the court reporter was also openly crying. "Please, Judge Hendricks. Don't put her through any more. Surely you've heard enough."

Hendricks cleared his throat. "More than enough. I'm so sorry, Detective Messer. Sorry that I had to question you. Sorry you had to live through the worst that humanity has to offer. I am glad that the monster that hurt you won't be appearing in my court. I'd have to recuse myself because there would be no way I could remain objective in hearing his case. The two of you take a few minutes to collect yourselves and then join us in the courtroom."

Danny nodded his understanding as the judge and court reporter left the room. He didn't know how to make this better for Lindsay, wasn't sure it was even possible. Then he thought about the one thing Lindsay had admitted being scared of. Without a second thought, he cupped her head in his hands and kissed her passionately. He hoped his kiss would convince her that despite hearing how bad it had been for her, no matter how ashamed she felt, he still loved her and still desired her. His kiss was broken only by momentary releases to give her a moment to breath before he recaptured her lips. Only once he felt her body relax against him and knew she needed a moment to fully be able to catch her breath did he break the kiss completely. He looked her in the eye.

"Don't ever apologize for what happened to you. You did nothing wrong. God, Babe, when I think of all the hell you had to endure, I don't know how you had the strength to survive it. I don't know that I would have. I promise you that I'm going to do everything humanly possible to make sure ever one of those bastards pay for what they did to you. Starting with that ass wipe of a reporter. Let's go see what the Judge has to say to him."

Lindsay didn't have the strength to protest so she allowed him to help her to the feet and together they returned to the courtroom. Once they were settled in their seats, Flack reached over and gave Lindsay's hand a squeeze. The judge looked at Bestly.

"Finn Bestly, you have been charged with one count of malicious endangerment. What is your plea."

Danny braced himself to hear the not guilty plea, therefore he was surprised when Bestly answered with "Guilty, your honor."

The judge nodded. "I have a victim's impact statement from Detective Messer whose life was endangered due to your news report. In light of what I heard, I'm not inclined to go easy on you. Do you have anything you wish to say in your defense?"

Bestly stood. "I have no defense your honor. None that makes sense at least. The truth was I had only one thought when I made that news report - what it could mean for my career. The safety of the hostages never entered my mind, maybe if it had even for a moment, I would have thought twice about releasing the information I heard. I didn't get it when I made the report. I didn't get it when Detective Flack questioned me. I don't get it when I was fired. I was beaten by some drunk at a bar who couldn't believe I had the gall to release such 'dangerous' information to the hostage takers. I still didn't get it even then. In fact since the day my uncle fired me I have been furious with him, the NYPD, the mayor's office, anyone I thought I could pass the blame to. In fact I even went so far as to go to the hospital two days ago to interview the ringleader of the robbery gang. I didn't go in to see him because he already had a guest. An NYPD officer who was ready to beat the living daylights out of a man who was restrained to a bed. I heard the federal marshal agree to cover up the incident as long as they made it look like Atwood was escaping. I figured I had the story of a lifetime. The national feeds would pay top dollar for a story like that."

If Lindsay hadn't been leaning so heavily on his shoulder, Danny would have jumped Bestly right then and there. He couldn't believe his actions were coming back to haunt him? Even the judge looked upset.

"If you are thinking your statement is going to help you…"

"No your honor. See I didn't get it even then. I didn't get it until the NYPD officer, the husband of the woman I was being accused of endangering, walked away without leaving a mark on him. I followed him to the bathroom; he was so upset he didn't even see me. I saw the pain he was in and all of a sudden I finally got it. I didn't cause his pain but I certainly didn't help it either. All because I didn't think of the consequences of my actions before I aired that story. As I watched him unleash all the fury he had to have wanted to heap on the man who had hurt his wife I realized that if our positions had been reversed, if it had been my wife who had been hurt, I wouldn't have walked away. I wouldn't have walked away because I would have still been putting my own wants and needs ahead of what was right. I'm willing to accept whatever punishment you feel is appropriate but I do ask that you consider my wife and son. They didn't ask for any of this and shouldn't have to suffer for my mistakes."

_Do you know how painful it can be growing up and having to tell the kids at school your father is in jail? Nobody wanted to be friends with the jailbird's kid. Do you know how much that hurts? _The memory of Junior's words hit her almost like a physical blow. She looked at the little boy sitting in the courtroom trying not to cry. How many more innocent people would be hurt? When would it all end?

Bestly sat down. The judge looked from the former reporter to Lindsay and back again. "Very well. Taking everything into consideration, I'm ready to render my sentence…"

"Your honor." Lindsay stood, surprising everyone. "May I say something?"

"It's not necessary but you may if you wish."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "It would be real easy to vilify Mr. Bestly and yeah, he made a bad judgment call. But the true monsters aren't on trial in this courtroom. Instead of being completely punitive, couldn't his punishment be helpful to others? I don't know, maybe community service or something?"

Hendricks sighed, eyeing her carefully. "Is that what you really want?"

Once again, Lindsay looked at the little boy. "It's what I think is best for all involved."

Danny and Flack both wanted to protest but said nothing. Lindsay sat back down and rested her head on Danny's shoulder. She was tired but her day was really only beginning. She still had to go back to the station and give her statement and she was sure it was going to be much worse than what she just went through.

"Very well. I sentence you to six months of community service and two years of probation. If you end up back in court for so much as a parking ticket, I'll see to it that you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. She has way more compassion than I do. Court adjourned." He banged his gavel and left the courtroom before the bailiff had time to have them rise.

Unable to believe his good fortune, Finn stood and walked to where the three cops were standing to leave. He reached his hand out to shake Lindsay's but she didn't reciprocate. "Thank you, Detective Messer. I don't deserve your mercy but I promise I won't waste this chance you've given me."

"Don't thank me, thank your little boy. Danny, let's get out of here." She allowed Danny and Flack to lead her out of the courtroom without another word.


	35. Chapter 34

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay but at least now school is out. A whole summer (or at least two months) of being able to write.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 34<p>

Lindsay had fallen asleep about thirty minutes earlier but Danny continued to run his hand through her hair as he watched the even rise and fall of her chest. She was nestled securely in his arms and he would be quite content for her to remain right where she was for the rest of their lives. He knew it wasn't possible but at least for the meantime he could know that she was perfectly safe and protected.

The cell phone on his hip vibrated and he was glad he'd remembered to put the phone on vibrate as soon as they arrived home. He released the hold on her hair and retrieved the phone and pulled up the received text message from Mac.

_How is she?_

It had been a hellish day. He had tried to convince her as emotionally spent as she was after the hearing that her statement could wait but in typical Lindsay fashion, she'd insisted. Said waiting would just give her one more thing to dread doing. He knew it was going to be too much for her but couldn't argue with her. He had insisted that she eat at least a little something so she'd agreed to a bowl of clam chowder at Mushies before going to the station. She'd even managed to keep it down as she gave her statement; Danny wished he could say the same about his own lunch. He'd only made it to Atwood Junior breaking her nose before he had to excuse himself to empty the contents of his stomach. Anything left in his stomach further expelled itself when he once again listened to the woman he loved more than life itself talk about her final encounter with Atwood during her captivity.

With a sigh he typed out his reply one handed. _Cried herself to sleep. Don't know how long it'll last._

A second later a reply came back. _How are you? _

Mac knew him well. During her whole statement, she'd managed to keep her emotions under control but Danny had been an emotional mess listening to her describe her captivity. He didn't regret listening in; he needed to know just how bad it had been for her. Partly so he could help her recover and partly to put an end to his own demons who were determined to make him imagine much worse. He was glad the mirror had kept her from seeing his reaction; because it wouldn't have helped her to see his reaction. By the time her statement was complete and Michelle Greer had stepped in to talk with her for a few minutes, he'd been able to reign his own emotions in. It made it easier to handle her own eventual breakdown the moment she was in the safety of their own apartment.

_As long as she's okay, I'll be okay._

And it was true. The pain he was currently experiencing was for what she was going through. She was the one who had to endure everything and as much as he wished he could have traded places with her, he couldn't. All he could do was hold her when she needed to be held and offer what comfort he could. He didn't sell himself short as he could see how much that support was helping her but it didn't stop him from feeling woefully inadequate.

_Need anything?_

For this to have never happened? He appreciated all the support his friends had given them; needed their support probably just as much as Lindsay needed his. How did he delicately ask that just for the evening everyone leave them alone. He wanted Lindsay to sleep for as long as she possibly could so that she could recharge her depleted stores of energy. Plus he couldn't see how she was going to escape the nightmares reliving the experience would dredge up. She needed to rest while she could. As much as he knew she wouldn't like the idea, he'd even called his mom earlier during her statement and asked if Lucy could spend one more night with his parents.

_I think we're good for now. Just gonna let her sleep._

Apparently Mac was well versed in reading what wasn't typed because it didn't take him long to reply. _I'll spread the word to everyone to hold off their calls and visits for tonight. Call or text if you or Lindsay need anything. _

Danny smiled reading the message. They were truly lucky, he and Lindsay. They had great friends who would drop everything in a heartbeat if they needed something. He sent his thanks via a new text message and put his phone back in its holster. Stella had called while they were at lunch to say she had gotten home safely and had elicited the same promise from them both to call her at any time if they needed her.

Planting a kiss on the top of Lindsay's head, Danny settled back against the pillow holding her comfortably close to him. She was alive and with each passing day her physical injuries would heal. As bad as things had been he knew they could have been much worse. Would have been much worse if Lindsay hadn't sent them the evidence to figure out who was behind the robberies. He had to keep reminding himself of that even though it really wasn't much of a consolation. Had he heard the full story before his visit to Atwood, the bastard probably wouldn't have gotten off so easy. He also wished he'd been able to have a few minutes alone with the son before he offed himself. Yeah, Atwood, Jr. might have been marginally more humane than his father but knowing that most of Lindsay's physical injuries had occurred at his hands didn't leave Danny feeling much sympathy toward the dead man.

A sharp knock at the front door alerted Danny to the fact that they had a visitor. He considered ignoring the summons but didn't want to take the chance on the unknown person knocking harder and waking Lindsay. He gave her another kiss and settled her comfortably before gingerly getting out of the bed. He closed the bedroom door before jogging lightly to the door before whoever was there could knock again.

It was Sheldon who sheepishly held up his phone. "Sorry, got the text from Mac about giving you guys some quiet time after I knocked. Figured it would be rude to leave before you answered the door. I'm sorry. You probably don't even want to see me but I just wanted to check on both of you. I was out at a scene while Lindsay was giving her statement but I can imagine how hard it was on the both of you."

Danny knew Hawkes still felt bad about what happened that night at the hospital. Though they had talked some the night before at Stella's going away party, it had still felt a little strained. Had it been anybody else, Danny might have sent them on their way but didn't want to hurt their friendship even more. Besides, Sheldon had once been in his footsteps. Maybe he could offer him some insight on how to best help Lindsay through this.

"Come on in. Lindsay's asleep."

Sheldon picked up a brown bag sitting at his feet. "Figured you might could use a beer or two."

Looking at the size of the bag, Danny couldn't help but smile. "One or two beers or six-packs?"

Realizing Danny wasn't mad he was there, Hawkes returned the smile. "Well, I also figured it's no fun to drink alone and I know Lindsay shouldn't drink while on her pain meds. By the way, how is her pain? Jo said she looked like she was hurting a lot at the station earlier. Are the meds not strong enough? Need me to call something different in? I can even go pick it up for you so you don't leave her."

Danny shook his head, settling onto the couch before grabbing both of them a bottle of beer from the bag. "The meds work when she takes them. She didn't take any today because of the hearing and giving her statement; she wanted a clear head. So yeah, by the time Jo saw us at the station, the pain had gotten almost unbearable for her. But as soon as she finished her statement I made her take a pain pill before we ever left. I don't know if the pain was that bad or if she was just out of it emotionally but when I got her to take the second one once we got home, she didn't protest at all."

For a few minutes, the two men sat there in silence drinking their beer. Danny was lost in his thoughts, trying to figure out what exactly he wanted to ask Sheldon. Before he could figure out the answer, Hawkes spoke up. "Mac has sealed Lindsay's statement to a 'need-to-know basis. He doesn't want Lindsay to feel uncomfortable when she comes back to work thinking we all know what happened to her. I don't have to know the details to know how tough this is for both of you. I know I didn't make things any easier that night at the hospital…"

"Water under the bridge, man. Hawkes, I'm scared. She's hurting so much and I don't mean physically. I want to make this okay for her but I'm scared I'm gonna mess up and hurt her more. What if I'm calling myself being supportive but she feels like I'm smothering her? What if I give her room to breathe and try to act like nothing happened and she feels like I don't care? You've been here before, how do I not mess up?"

Hawkes shook his head. "I might not be the best person to ask. Obviously I didn't do such a hot job figuring out what Kara needed. I had the same fears you are talking about and to be honest, I don't think I knew how to read Kara's needs the way you seem to know Lindsay. I've watched the two of you together and I've seen the way Lindsay looks at you. She trusts you in a way I don't think Kara ever did with me. I don't know if it has anything to do with you being married but she's not only comfortable with your touch but seems to almost need it. Don't get me wrong, I think you're probably going to experience both ends of your fears before all is said and done. There may be times when she feels like you are smothering her and other times when she feels you aren't there enough."

"So it's a no-win situation?" Danny set the empty bottle down and reached for another one. He sounded so forlorn that Hawkes wished he had some magical cure for him.

"Only if you give up which I don't see you doing. I think maybe I did. Maybe she and I both did without realizing it. I felt like I was reaching out to her but she wasn't receptive, however maybe there were times she was reaching out to me and I didn't see it."

Danny's ears turned red as he worked out how to ask the question he really wanted to ask. "When it comes to being intimate, do I listen to what she says or how her body reacts?"

His beer to his mouth, Sheldon had to struggle not to choke on the drink. He looked at Danny trying not to sound judgmental. "It's a little soon to worry about that isn't it? Her injuries alone suggest that."

Danny set his beer on the table. This conversation was going to be awkward; he wasn't the type to kiss and tell but he really needed the advice. "I agree that it's too soon, but Lindsay…" He trailed off, too embarrassed to continue. "Okay, see, it's like Lindsay… I mean…. Damn it, why is this so difficult?"

His friend took sympathy on him, recognizing that it wasn't easy for Danny to talk about it but obviously needed the advice. "Let me see if I understand what you are not saying. Lindsay wants to be intimate but you aren't sure it's the right thing?"

Danny nodded glumly. How had it been so much easier for Hawkes to put into words? "I think she feels like it'll help her get past what happened or maybe she just thinks it'll make things seem normal again. She's scared I'm going to reject her because of what happened. I don't want to feed those fears but at the same time when I touch her in certain ways and her body is clearly screaming that it's not ready, what choice do I have?"

Before Sheldon could even think of an answer, screams from the bedroom interrupted them. Danny was on his feet in a flash rushing into the bedroom. Sheldon followed but hovered at the doorway. He wanted to help but didn't want to intrude.

Lindsay was sitting bolt upright in the bed, tears once more streaming down her face. Though her eyes were opened and her screams loud and piercing, it was obvious she was still sound asleep locked in an apparent nightmare. Danny sat on the bed beside her trying to gather her in his arms. In her dreamed-locked state, Lindsay fought against him, hitting him squarely in his chest several times before he locked her arms tightly between his body and her own. The whole time he was offering her reassurances and comfort, much the way he had earlier that day in Judge Hendricks office. Once again, it didn't appear that she heard him but this time didn't even seem to be taking comfort in his embrace. Nothing he said or did seemed to be making a difference. Finally he looked to Sheldon for help.

"It's more than likely a night terror instead of a nightmare. Just keep talking to her until it's over."

It took about ten more minutes before her screaming subsided and another ten minutes after that before she slumped back against him. Satisfied that the night terror had ended, Sheldon spoke again from the doorway. "Looks like the worst of this one is over. I'm not going to lie to you, this may just be the first one of the night. I'm going to get out of here now so the two of you can rest while you can. I'll put the rest of the beers in the fridge and lock the door on my way out. If you need anything, call. As for your earlier concerns, my best advice would be this. Nobody loves her the way you do. Trust what your instincts tell you to do about listening to what her body tells you. But just remember to keep reassuring her every step of the way so she doesn't feel like you are rejecting her. You two will work this out better than Kara and I ever could."

"Thanks man." Danny was glad Sheldon had dropped by but was also glad their friend realized when it was time to leave. He had settled back on the bed, holding and watching her. After a few minutes her eyes fluttered open.

"Danny? Where am I?"

"In bed, Babe. It's okay. You're safe. I'm right here."

She glanced around taking reassurance in the familiar surroundings. Then she looked back up at him. "What time is it?"

Glancing around her body to look at the alarm clock he sighed. "A little after seven. If you are awake, you should probably eat a little something. I know you haven't had much of an appetite but you gotta keep your strength up. I could make you a grilled cheese sandwich and some soup if you would like."

Remembering that Lucy had been so excited about that very meal just the other night, Lindsay gave a small smile. "Are you going to cut the 'crusties' off?"

Danny chuckled warmly. "Babe, if you want me to, I'll bake a loaf from scratch without any crusties to even worry about. How about it?"

She considered his offer. "Can I have cream of mushroom instead of tomato?"

"I think I can swing that." Danny kissed her warmly, wanting to reassure her that his love hadn't changed from hearing what had happened to her and to reassure himself that she was still here for him to do so. "You were so wiped when we got back that you fell asleep with your clothes on. Why don't you get something more comfortable on while I fix supper?"

She nodded and then seemed to listen carefully. "Why is Lucy so quiet? She's not asleep already is she?"

"I called Ma and had her pick her up and take her to their house. She'll be fine." Seeing she was about to protest, he placed a finger over her mouth silencing her. "Remember when I had the flu earlier this year? We sent her to my parents because it was easier for you to take care of your big sick baby without your real baby running around and because we didn't want Lucy getting sick. Think of it this way. I can take care of you better if I know Lucy is being taken care of plus we don't have to explain to her why Mommy is screaming in her sleep from a night terror."

Lindsay bit her lower lip. "I had a night terror?"

Danny nodded. "It was pretty scary for me to see, it would have terrified Lucy. Do you remember any of it?"

"No, I never do." Lindsay admitted. "I used to have them quite frequently after the shooting at the diner. I never remembered having them but I saw the effects that they had on my family. I'm glad Lucy isn't here to see them. I'm sorry to put you through them. I'm sure it's just a side effect of giving my statement today. I know you worried it was going to be too tough on my but I had to do it; putting it off wasn't going to make it any easier."

Danny kissed her again. "I know. I just hate seeing you in any kind of pain."

"I know." Lindsay conceded. "But you being here makes the pain a little more bearable. Thank you for being here for me."

He pressed her close to him for several more minutes. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."


	36. Chapter 35

Author's Notes: This chapter is mostly about Lindsay as she struggles to get past what happened to her. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 35<p>

When the alarm went off at six in the morning, Danny woke up a little surprised. The last time he'd looked at the clock it had been just after 2 as he comforted Lindsay after about the fifth night terror of the night. He had figured it was going to be a night full of being woken up by her screams that he could do very little about. But apparently he'd gotten four complete hours of uninterrupted sleep. He was glad because she needed the peaceful sleep even more than he did. Then he realized he was in the bed alone. He sat up blinking, thinking maybe she'd gone to the bathroom. That door was wide open and it was clear she wasn't in there.

Throwing back the covers, he climbed out of bed and left the bedroom. The kitchen was empty and so was the living room. A quick check of Lucy's room and the spare bedroom also proved fruitless. He was about to panic when he heard the sound of dryer running in the laundry room. The fact that their new apartment had a built in washer and dryer had been one of the features that drew them to this place, especially after Shane Casey had been able to take his t-shirt from the common laundry room at their old apartment. But why would Lindsay be doing laundry at six in the morning when she shouldn't even be lifting the clothes from one appliance to the other? He pushed the door to the laundry room open and his heart broke at the image.

Sometime after he last woke up with her, Lindsay had made a makeshift pallet of blankets on the tile floor and had curled up most uncomfortably to sleep. He had no way of knowing how many times she'd woken up screaming and he hadn't heard her over the running of the appliance. Her red, splotchy face and swollen eyes suggested it had been many times. Why had she done this? But then he remembered her sobbing rambling after the last time he'd woken her after the night terror and knew the answer.

"_I'm so sorry, Danny. You've got to get up in the morning for work and I'm keeping you awake. I'll go sleep in the other bedroom."_

"_You'll do no such thing, besides I could hear you from here and it'd would just take me longer to get to you." _He'd kept his tone light to show he was teasing. But from her downcast expression it was clear he hadn't succeeded. He'd given her a tender kiss of reassurance. "_Don't worry about it, Babe. I'm more worried about you. I hate seeing you go through this and I feel powerless to stop it."_

Worried that she was keeping him from sleeping and feeling bad that she was causing him pain, she'd left the bedroom so she wouldn't disturb him. It was his fault she'd chosen to do so in the most uncomfortable way she could. Feeling guilty, he knelt beside her and gently caressed her cheek. Her eyes opened and she smiled at him. "I didn't wake you up again did I?"

"The alarm did. I was a bit worried when you weren't beside me. Linds, Babe, why did you come in here? It couldn't have been very comfortable."

She winced as she stretched a little. "That was the idea. I thought maybe if I was uncomfortable I wouldn't sleep as deeply to have the nightmares."

The look he gave her was a mixture of guilt, hurt, and concern. "That work for you?"

She allowed him to help her to her feet and pull her close. She shook her head as she buried her head in his chest and decided honesty was the best policy. "If anything it made it worse. But it kept me from continuing to wake you up every thirty minutes or so, so it wasn't a complete waste."

He led her to the living room and sat down on the couch, pulling her close. "The idea that you went through all that pain last night and I wasn't there to help you through it hurts, Linds. I hate that you felt you had to leave the safety and comfort of our bed just so I could sleep."

She nuzzled against him sleepily. "It's not like I can even remember the dream when it's over. I wake up when its all over and the only way I'm even aware of what happened is because my throat hurts from screaming and my heart is racing. I know the night terror is even worse for you because you have to listen helplessly while I scream it out. That's not fair to you, especially when you have to be at work."

Danny sighed. "I don't think fair is a word that exists for us right now. None of this has been fair for either of us but there's not much we can do about it either. I want - no, I need to be here for you. Please promise me no more nights sleeping on the floor to avoid waking me up."

When there was no answer, he looked down to realize she'd fallen asleep on him. He smiled and kissed her softly. Picking her up, he carried her to the bedroom and placed her in the bed and covered her with the blanket. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and then straightened. He knew he needed to get a shower and then get dressed for work but he stood there for several minutes watching her sleep. When it appeared to him that this time it appeared the sleep would be productive instead of destructive, he began his morning rituals of dressing.

Once he was ready to leave for work, he stood once more at her bedside. He debated whether to wake her or not. Knowing she needed the rest, he refrained from waking her up. Instead he grabbed a notepad and pen and scribbled a note which he set in front of the clock.

_Babe,_

_Hated to have to leave but had to get to work. Take it easy and make sure you eat something. Call if you need anything. I'll check on you later. Love you._

_Danny_

With another kiss to her sleeping face, he left the bedroom and then the apartment.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"Lindsay Messer." The nurse stood at the door with a clipboard in her hand. She looked around the waiting room for her patient.

Lindsay stood shakily and crossed the room. This was the last place she wanted to be but she knew it was important. She also figured that Danny would be mad when he found out she'd made the appointment and hadn't told him. But he was needed at work. Mac had cut him slack the day before keeping him on the clock but letting him spend the time with her at first the hearing and then while she gave her statement. If Danny had known she was coming to the doctor, especially this doctor, he would have insisted on coming and it wouldn't be right to do that to their friend and boss two days in a row.

She followed the nurse down the hall. She could feel herself getting a little shaky. This wasn't Dr. Napier's usual nurse. How would she explain what she needed to this stranger? It wouldn't have been much easier talking to Jean but at least she was comfortable with the usual nurse. "Where's Jean?"

"This is her vacation week." The nurse led Lindsay into a little cubicle and motioned for her to sit. She looked over the chart. "What brings you in today, Mrs. Messer? It's not time for your yearly appointment."

Lindsay opened her mouth to explain but the words wouldn't come out. The nurse looked at her, confused at first and then with growing concern as she recognized that her patient looked distressed. Lindsay stood abruptly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come in. I'm sorry to have taken up your time."

"Lindsay, it's okay. Come into my office." Dr. Napier appear at the doorway and signaled the nurse that it was okay. She led the upset woman down the hall to her office and closed the door. She had Lindsay sit down on the couch on one side of the office and sat beside her. Pulling a couple of tissues from a box, she pressed them into Lindsay's hands. "I'm glad you came in, Lindsay. I was going to call you. I got the report from Queen of Mercy about what happened to you."

Lindsay dabbed at her eyes with the tissues. Michelle had told her the day before that she'd sent a report to her OB/GYN and had encouraged her to follow up with a visit to the doctor. "I don't even know why I'm here. I mean I do know why I'm here but it seems a little silly. It's common for the forensic nurse to encourage rape victims to follow up with their normal doctor but I don't have the usual worries that other victims do. I don't have to worry about AIDS or STDS or even pregnancy. My concerns seem trivial compared to that."

Dr. Napier smiled patiently. "Those aren't the only worries that rape victims experience that I can help with. If it was enough to make you call and get an appointment then I doubt it's that trivial. What can I help you with, Lindsay?"

The doctor's calmness was helping to calm her down as well. But still, Lindsay blushed deeply. "I want you to check my injuries. I know they weren't as great as what other victims…"

"Stop it right there, Lindsay. Stop comparing yourself to other victims. This was something bad that happened to you and it has nothing to do with what other women who have been raped experienced. If you have questions or concerns then you should voice them. Don't minimize what you went through because it doesn't seem as severe as what people want to believe sexual assault should be. No one woman should ever have to experience the kind of intrusion you were forced to go through. If you want me to check you over then I will be glad to do so. But first, can you explain what exactly you are concerned about? Are you experiencing pain from your injuries that have you worried?"

Lindsay studied a spot on the carpet near the doctor's desk. For a moment she was transported back to the very first time she'd visited the gynecologist. She'd been in college at the time and in her first serious relationship. She and her boyfriend had been in a serious make-out session that had become more than a little painful. Feeling like a major freak, she had made the appointment the very next day. Despite her concerns, it had taken her the better part of half an hour to finally voice her concerns to the elderly female doctor. Thankfully the grandmotherly doctor had been very patient and understanding as she pried the information out of a reticent Lindsay. Once she finally knew the story, she'd been able to reassure Lindsay that nothing was wrong with her. With proper arousal or extra lubrication, the pain she'd experienced wouldn't be a constant problem.

Sitting on the couch in Dr. Napier's office, she felt the same awkward silence that she had felt all those years ago. Fortunately, her current doctor had pretty much the same patience and understand that her first doctor has possessed. Her voice, once she finally found it, was small and uncertain. "Can you tell me if I'm okay to be intimate with my husband?"

Dr. Napier watched her carefully. She had met Danny many times while caring for Lindsay during her pregnancy. He had been caring and completely devoted to his wife's needs and to those of the developing baby. Was he not being as understanding with this current situation? Being careful not to prejudge without all the facts, she probed gently. "It's barely been a week since you were attacked, Lindsay. Even if the physical injuries have healed, I doubt you've had an opportunity to recover emotionally. Surely both you and Danny realize that. What's the hurry?"

Lindsay realized what the doctor was probably thinking and rushed to explain. "Danny doesn't even know I'm here. He's been so understanding with all this. I'm the one pushing this. I want Danny to make love to me but he doesn't want to hurt me. I was hoping if I could get the all clear from you, he wouldn't be so hesitant to touch me."

Dr. Napier was glad to hear that it wasn't Danny pressuring her. She couldn't picture him doing so but she'd been surprised by husbands and boyfriends of rape victims before. She felt sorry for the man. It sounded like he was trying to be so understanding and caring. "Why don't I examine you and see what's going on before we talk about what happens next. If you won't be comfortable with someone you don't know in the room with me, I can see if Beth is free." Beth was the ultrasound technician who had performed most of Lindsay's sonograms when she was pregnant with Lucy.

Lindsay smiled gratefully. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all. Go on into room 3. You know where the gowns are. Get changed and hop onto the table. I'll get Beth and we'll be in there in a moment."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

10 missed calls, 7 voice messages, and 15 text messages awaited Lindsay when she stepped out of the doctor's office. Though she knew she'd probably had Danny worried sick, she ignored the messages and stepped into the elevator. Since she was alone in the cart, she pulled the stop button once the door closed. She just needed a moment to recoup her nerves. The exam had been as rough as she'd feared it would be even though the doctor had been extremely gentle and patient. Lindsay had been unable to stop herself from tensing up every time the doctor had tried to examine her. Dr. Napier had offered to give her something to help her relax but warned her she'd have to call Danny or someone else to pick her up if she did. Lindsay had refused the offer and had finally managed to calm herself down enough so that the doctor could take a quick look. After a couple of minutes, she was finished and Lindsay could sit up.

"_There's still some signs of bruising but that's to be expected. The tears and scratches have healed nicely. Lindsay, I'd say physically there is nothing to prevent you and Danny from being intimate with each other. I know there's a big difference between making love with your husband and being examined by a doctor but I think it's pretty evident that you still need some time before you are really ready for sex. Why are you in such a hurry about this?" She'd asked the same question earlier but hopefully this time Lindsay could give her an answer. _

"_I don't want to be his victim anymore. As long as he has this power over me, I can't break free of his control. I want things to be normal again."_

Dr. Napier had given her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and offered her one more piece of advice before leaving her to change back into her clothes. Even now standing in the stilled elevator, Lindsay could hear her words reverberating in her head. Her phone vibrated in her hands and this time she answered the phone with a shaky hello.

"_Thank God. I was going crazy not being able to reach you. Everything okay?"_

Ordinarily she'd be upset that he was being too worried and over protective. But given everything that had happened recently, his fears were justified. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Danny. I didn't mean to worry you. I made an appointment with Dr. Napier just to make sure everything was healing the way it should. I had my phone on vibrate while I was in her office."

"_Everything okay?" _He asked again and she knew that this time he was asking about the exam not just in general.

"She said everything looked fine." Lindsay replied not adding the rest of the doctor's advice. With a deep sigh, she reached out and unstopped the elevator, knowing she'd held it up too long as it was. "Danny, the support group Michelle told me about meets in a couple of hours. Would you be upset if I decided to go?"

"_I couldn't ever be upset with you about something like that. Are you sure you want to? I know how reluctant you've been about it? I think it's great idea but only if you're sure." _How she'd gotten so lucky to have such a caring and understanding husband, she'd never know but she was grateful for his love and support.

"No, I'm pretty sure I don't want to but I think I probably need to. What could one visit hurt? If I don't like it, I don't have to go back, right?" She knew she was trying to convince herself more so than him.

"_I love you so much, Lindsay. I'm proud of you. And yeah, if it doesn't seem like it's going to be helpful, you don't have to go back. I'm really glad you are going to give it a chance though. Call me if you want a ride home when it's over. Things have been quiet today so I should get off on time."_

Lindsay could feel his love for her emanating over the phone and she closed her eyes, allowing the feeling to wash over her like a much needed balm. "I will. Promise me you'll pick Lucy up from school today? Maybe it's selfish of me but I think I'll need a normal routine to come home to when it's all over. That means actually being able to put our daughter to bed. It's been way too long since I've been able to do that."

Danny's warm chuckle tickled her ear through the phone. She could still hear the worry but knew he was trying hard to allow her to have the independence without smothering her. She loved him all the more for it because she knew it was hard for him to do so. "I'll pick her up and have dinner ready. But still, I'm sure this group thing is probably going to be a pretty emotional thing. I'd rather you call me and let me and Luce pick you up than you try getting home on the subway upset. If you promise me that, I'll promise you a routine evening."

Lindsay smiled. "Deal."

As she hung up the phone, Dr. Napier's parting admonishment popped back in her head. _"Lindsay, if you are rushing into having sex with your husband just to escape being your rapist's victim, then in the end, you're still his victim. There's no time table in how long this takes. Work through your fears; see a counselor or a support group. When the time is right for you and Danny to be intimate, you'll know it and the attack won't even be a consideration."_

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay knocked on the door to the hospital room and waited until she heard the masculine come in. She stepped into the room to see Sam lying comfortably in the hospital bed. An attractive woman was sitting next to him. When he saw who his visitor was, his face broke into a wide smile. Lindsay had to smile as well. He might have started off as a jerk when they were first taken hostage together but she couldn't forget the way he had been stabbed trying to protect her. She's really been afraid he had been killed and it had taken several times of being reassured that all five had survived for her to believe it.

"I was hoping to see you. Darling, this is Lindsay, the officer who was taken hostage with me."

Mrs. Byers stood and shook Lindsay's hand. "Sam's told me about how your quick thinking saved their lives."

Blushing slightly, Lindsay shook her head. "I didn't do much." She looked at Sam. "How are you? You took a big risk trying to protect me. I was scared he'd killed you."

She leaned down and hugged him tightly. Tears filled his eyes as she released him. "It didn't stop him from hurting you though, did it? Doc Neil has come to visit a couple of times; he filled me in on what happened after I got hurt. I'm so sorry, Lindsay. I should have done more to protect both you and Carla. That bastard should never have been able to hurt the two of you the way he did." The look she gave him told him he hadn't answered her question and he chuckled. "I'll be fine thanks to Doc Neil and Carla patching me up until help arrived. Somehow he missed all the vital organs so the blood loss was my biggest threat. I would have gone home already but I had a little infection set into the wound but its better now and I'm going home tomorrow."

Mrs. Byers pulled a chair close to the bed for Lindsay to sit in before resuming her own seat. She eyed the younger woman carefully. "I saw the news where you were responsible for Atwood's second capture. You are obviously a strong person but this can't have been easy for you."

Lindsay smiled. "I've had a lot of support from my husband and friends. I'm incredibly lucky to have them, especially my husband. I feel sorry for him actually. I've probably not been the easiest person to be around the last few days but he's been wonderful."

Sam gave his wife a smile and a wink. "We know all about how that is, don't we, honey?" Then he looked at Lindsay with all seriousness. "I know we barely know each other but both of us have been where you and your husband are now. Let me give you our numbers. If either of you want to talk to someone who's been in your shoes, give us a call. Especially your husband. Sometimes it's harder for us guys to know how to help the women we love and harder to find the help we need to help you. Tell him to call me if he wants advice or just needs a sounding board."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks. I think Danny is probably feeling a little lost at times. We have a friend who had a girlfriend who was raped about ten years ago but their relationship didn't work out so I think he feels a little reluctant to give advice." Over supper the night before, Danny had sort of told her about his conversation with Sheldon. She glanced at her watch. "I hate to run but I'm heading to one of those support groups now. I'm pretty sure it'll take me a little while to work up the nerve to go in, so I'd better head upstairs."

Mrs. Byers wrote down their contact information and Lindsay handed her one of her cards in return. The older woman gave her a warm hug. "I know how tough those groups can be at times but believe it or not, they can actually help. I won't say it won't be painful but in the end it really does help to talk with people who have been in your shoes."

Lindsay thanked them and promised to keep in touch and then left the hospital room. She took the elevator to the floor listed on the card Michelle gave her. Michelle was coming down the hall from the opposite way when Lindsay stepped off the elevator. The counselor smiled when she saw her. "I'm glad you decided to come. I was hoping you would but I was afraid after how tough yesterday was today might be a little too soon to expect you."

With a shrug, Lindsay admitted. "I wasn't sure I was coming until just a little while ago. I'm scared of being here but I'm more scared of not being able to put this behind me. I'm ready to have my life back and if that means I rip this scab off then I guess I have to do that."

Michelle led Lindsay into the room. They were the first to arrive and she encouraged Lindsay to have a seat. "Like I said, I'm really glad you came but I don't want you to get your hopes up. Attending one meeting is not a magical cure. It's merely a first step, maybe even a painful first step. Some of the ladies you'll meet tonight have been coming here for a couple of years and they still have their struggles with what happened to them. I'm not saying it'll take you that long but I want to prepare you that this isn't something that's going to disappear overnight. Are you prepared for that?"

"I guess I have to be." Lindsay admitted as she chewed on her bottom lip. Then she looked up into Michelle's eyes. "It will get better though, won't it? I know as a cop, I've told many rape victims that it will but now that I'm on this side of it; I realize how hollow it sounds."

With probably anyone else, Michelle would have instantly reassured the woman that everything would eventually be fine but she knew Lindsay would see through anything that was anything even close to being less than the truth. "Depends on you. You can choose to let this control your life for the rest of your life or you can choose to get the better of it. From what I know about you, I truly believe you'll choose to get the better of it. That doesn't mean that it'll be an easy, painless road or that you won't have moments of wanting to throw your hands up in a true 'Calgon, take me away' fashion but ultimately you'll be okay."

Swiping at her eyes impatiently, Lindsay nodded. "Okay, how does this work then?"

"It's pretty informal. Usually about five to ten women show up. We discuss whatever they need to talk about. Don't feel like you have to talk if you aren't ready but don't hesitate to speak up if you have a question or a comment. If you are okay here by yourself for a few minutes, I need to bring the refreshments in."

"I could help."

"Not with those busted ribs you won't. Why do I have a feeling Danny has his hands full keeping you over doing it around the house, especially with that precious little girl."

Lindsay chuckled, a little of her nervousness leaving her. Every time she pulled Lucy in her lap or lifted her, she could practically hear Danny growl with frustration. She didn't do it to get a rise out of him but because she simply couldn't help herself. She didn't get to stop being a mommy because of her injuries and she loved caring for her little girl.

Her phone vibrated after Michelle left and she pulled it out to see she had a new message from Danny.

_Routine evening will be ready when you are. I'm proud of you for taking this step. Lucy and I love you very much. 4847._

She smiled at the last four numbers. It had been awhile since either one of them had used those numbers in a text to the other. They had used it all the time when they were first dating and didn't want to be obvious in front of anyone who saw their text messages. The numbers corresponded to the letters on that number. 4847 translated to HUGS. Whatever happened in the meeting, she could face it knowing her husband and daughter were waiting at home for her.


	37. Chapter 36

Author's Notes: Just a small, mostly fluffy chapter for now. I hope to have the next chapter ready by tonight and it will be a little more angsty. Reviews are as always welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 36<p>

"Mommy's home!" Lucy squealed as soon as the apartment door swung open and Lindsay stepped quietly inside. The two year old ran to the door and threw her arms around her mother, almost bowling the woman over in her exuberance. Gingerly kneeling down, Lindsay wrapped her arms around Lucy for a warm hug.

"Hey, Baby. Mommy missed you. Did you have a good day at school?" It was positively killing Lindsay not to scoop her little girl up in her arms but her ribs were protesting even the small hug she was giving. Still, she needed the close contact with her daughter and her husband who she could see was standing at the doorway to the kitchen watching her carefully. Lindsay rose, suppressing the groan that she felt coming and led Lucy by the hand to the couch. "Why don't you climb up here beside Mommy and tell me all about your day."

Lucy was all too happy to oblige, scrambling up onto the couch and into her mother's lap. "I painted you a pitcher today but it was still wet so I had to leave it at school. I'll bring it home on 'morrow."

"Tomorrow is Saturday, Lucy. You won't go to school tomorrow. You can bring it home on Monday. I can't wait to see it." The way their schedules had been lately, Lindsay was surprised she even knew what day it was.

Lucy looked up at Lindsay noticing her puffy, red eyes. "Mommy, you been crying again?" She raised her voice. "Daddy, Mommy needs you."

Lindsay was about to reassure her little girl that she was fine but then Danny was at the side of the couch holding out his hand with a little white pill resting in his palm and a bottle of water in the other. Gratefully, she accepted both and took her pain medication without a protest. It struck her as interesting that here at home, she wasn't repulsed by the offer of water but anywhere else it sent her into a panic. Maybe because home was the one place that she felt absolutely completely safe. Taking the water bottle back, Danny gave her a welcoming kiss.

"What happened to calling me for a ride?" It wasn't a chastisement, merely an observation so Lindsay didn't take offense.

"I didn't break my promise. I was about to call you when Michelle offered to give me a ride. She doesn't live far from here. It actually gave me a little time to decompress after the meeting so I didn't think you'd mind. How did you know I needed the pain pill?"

Danny sat on the edge of the couch, holding her close to him. "I'm not a detective for nothing, Babe. I saw the bottle on the counter when I got home and when you didn't even try to pick Lucy up when you got here, I figured you must be hurting pretty bad. You hungry? Supper is ready when you are."

Lindsay smiled. She knew he was curious about how her meeting had gone but wasn't going to push her right now. He had promised her a routine evening and that's exactly what it seemed he was willing to give her. "I'm starved, actually. Something smells delicious. Don't tell me you worked all day, picked Lucy up from school and made dinner as well? I feel so guilty."

Danny kissed her again and then swung Lucy up in his arms to her delighted giggles. "Don't. I only did two of the three. Ma came by as I was getting home and figuring out what delivery place to call and brought us one of her delicious chicken parmesan casseroles. All I had to do was keep it heated until you came home and fix some garlic bread to go with it. Hardly Food Network worthy."

He carried Lucy to her booster seat and got her strapped in before putting three plates on the table. Lindsay joined him at the table and for just a moment lost herself in the normalcy of an evening meal with her family. As she had come to expect from her mother-in-law, the food was incredibly delicious and she savored every bite. She didn't mention to Danny that she had skipped both breakfast and lunch earlier in the day because she knew he would worry about her. After about half her plate was gone, she looked at her husband.

"Do you remember the Causey murder from earlier this year?"

Danny thought back and nodded slowly. "Guy killed his wife. We couldn't figure out what his motive was until you figured out he killed her after she discovered him in her daughter's room…" He trailed off not wanting to finish that the man had been in the process of raping his step-daughter with a vibrator he had discovered in her bedroom. "Yeah, I remember it."

"Tanya Murphy was at the meeting. The poor girl is still having a rough time dealing with what happened to her. She's only 16. I think back to that case and how I pushed her to tell us what happened. Maybe if I hadn't…"

Danny reached out and squeezed her hand. "Even if you hadn't figured out what had happened and gotten her to admit it, it wouldn't have changed the fact that that man brutally hurt her. It probably would have been worse for her cause she wouldn't have gotten the help she desperately needed. Sticking your head in the sand and pretending something bad didn't happen doesn't make it go away. You know that. She didn't blame you, did she?"

Lindsay thought about the girl she'd seen at the meeting. Her whole life was different thanks to what her stepfather did to her. It had taken her a moment to put the name with the face but she'd known the teenager as soon as she came in. It was one of those cases that stuck with you. Phillip Causey had been in his step-daughter's room when he discovered the vibrator. Thinking his step-daughter was experimenting with sex, he had completely snapped and decided to "teach" her a lesson with it. Even when she had begged him to stop saying it wasn't even hers but a gag a friend had given her, he hadn't listened. Anna Causey had come home and heard her daughter screaming from the bedroom and went to investigate. She had been righteously livid with what she witnessed and about to call the police when Philip had snapped once more and hit her over the head with a large rock Tanya used as a door stopper. He had threatened his step-daughter telling her that if she told anyone what happened they would know it was really all her fault that her mother had died. He had tried to make it look like a robbery gone bad but they had immediately realized he had committed the murder. The why had taken several days of Lindsay trying to break through the teenager's fears. She'd tried to be compassionate about what Tanya had gone through and the younger girl had even thanked her earlier in the evening for what she had done but Lindsay couldn't help but doubt the effectiveness of the work she'd done on the case. Had she been sensitive enough or had she been more concerned with closing the case?

"No, it wasn't anything like that. I think it just stunned me that I knew someone there. I knew the case but it was so different hearing about the effects it has had on her without being the cop in the situation. I don't think I'll ever work a rape case the same way again."

Danny took a bite of his casserole and watched her carefully. Anything she wanted to tell him about her meeting he would listen to and try to understand and support her but he wouldn't press her for details. He wasn't surprised at her admission. You couldn't go through what she had experienced and not expect it to change you. He'd seem much the same reaction with Stella six years ago after her attack with Frankie. She approached domestic violence calls a little differently as well. "I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. You'll have an empathy with a victim that they'll recognize and trust. They won't see what you are saying to them as some sort of protocol that you have to tell them."

For a few more minutes they were silent once more. Then Lucy finished her meal and begged to be released from her seat where she could return to playing. Danny wiped her face and then lifted her down. Once the adults were alone at the table, Lindsay set her fork down and looked at Danny, her eyes pleading for understanding.

"I know I will be limited in what I can do, but I want to return to work Monday. I know I'll still have a few weeks before Mac would even consider letting me back in the field but I can at least work in the lab. I know you probably think its too soon but I need for things to get back to normal."

Danny nodded and took a drink of his soda before answering. "We'll call Mac after supper and run it by him."

Lindsay stared at him in surprise, not sure she'd heard him correctly. "You aren't going to fight me on this?"

"Surprised?" Danny shot her an understanding smile. "Would I like for you to take more time? Hell, yeah. But I remember how crazy I was going being off from work after the shooting. If I had had to stay home and watch one more day of regular daytime programming on TV, I don't know how responsible I would have been for my actions. Just as long as you realize you're gonna have not only me but everyone at the lab on your case if you try to do too much."

A broad smile filled her face and Danny realized just how important it was to her to go back to work. He was glad he'd listened to his gut tell him not to fight her on it. "I know. I won't even protest if Mac makes me take an afternoon nap like we still try to make Lucy."

Danny had to laugh out loud at that image. "Well, let's not make promises I know you won't keep. Seriously though, Babe, I don't want you pushing yourself too hard but I know how active you are. Maybe putting in a few hours at the lab would be good for you but don't be surprised or upset if Mac wants to start you off with half days at first."

Feeling an excitement she hadn't felt in days, Lindsay nodded eagerly. "I'll take what I can get." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you for understanding."

Uncertain but trying to trust his gut, he pulled her over to sit in his lap and kissed her tenderly. She melted against him and let herself get lost in the kiss. When he finally pulled back, there was an emotion she couldn't quite decipher in his eyes. "Seriously, Linds. I want to understand and help you through this. It's hard at times cause I really want to just push something heavy in front of the door and keep the world out and you and Lucy right here with me so I can protect you. I know I can't do that and I'm trying to give you your independence but it's hard sometimes." He took a deep breath feeling a need to tell her exactly what he was feeling. "Sometimes I think about how close I could have come to losing you and it scares me so much I can't catch my breath. I see you struggling with what happened and I feel so damn helpless to do anything to make it better."

Lindsay snuggled into his hold for just a minute, expecting Lucy to come running out at any minute wanting one or both of her parents to come play with her. "I didn't make it any easier for you when you couldn't get a hold of me today either. I'm sorry, Danny. I didn't even stop to think about you worrying - no, I take that back. I did think about you but I didn't want to put you in a position to choose between work and me. Pretty selfish, huh?"

Danny caressed the soft skin of her arm, enjoying the feel of having her in his arms. He pressed another kiss to her head. "You don't have a selfish bone in your body. For the record though, if it came down to choosing between you and work on something really important; you'd win every time."

"After Lucy goes to bed tonight, I'd like to tell you about my meeting." Lindsay admitted softly.

"Whatever you are comfortable telling me, I'll listen. But you don't have to tell me anything if it makes you uncomfortable. For now though, why don't you go spend some time with Lucy before it gets to be bath time. I'll take care of cleaning the kitchen."

This time it was Lindsay who initiated the kiss. She could feel her pulse quicken as for just a moment their tongues met in a silent duel. Once the need to breathe became too great, she pulled away and smiled at him. "I love you so much. And for the record, you shouldn't feel pretty 'damn' helpless because you do make things better just by being here." She rose and went to Lucy's room without another word.

Twenty minutes later, the kitchen was cleaned up and Danny stood in Lucy's bedroom watching the two girls he loved sitting at Lucy's little table playing tea party. Lucy had on her Cinderella dress once more and Lindsay was sporting a bright purple feather boa with a small tiara on her head. Both were sipping from little cups and talking animatedly about nothing. Had this been two weeks ago, he would have laughed at the image and moved on back to the living room to watch some game on TV. But for now, he was content to just watch them. They represented everything that was truly important to him and just for a second everything seemed right with the world and the fear and pain that humanity's darkest had thrown at them seemed to have been completely obliterated. A tear of happiness ran down his cheek but he didn't even bother to brush it away.

Lucy noticed him standing there first. "Daddy, wanna play with us? You can have tea and cookies with Mommy and me."

With a grin he came and sat down lightly on one of the small chairs, wondering not for the first time if it would hold his weight without cracking into pieces. "Are you sure I'm dressed okay? After all, you and Mommy both look so beautiful."

Lucy regarded him carefully and critically. Then she got up for her seat and ran to her dress-up chest. He regretted his question when she came back with a wide brim pink floral hat that he was sure he'd seen his Great Aunt Eunice once wear and a string of big gaudy Mardi Gras beads Stella had sent Lucy earlier in the year. She flopped the beads around his neck first and then the hat on his head. She smiled.

"Now you looks beautiful too." She served him the imaginary tea and cookies and Danny noticed that Lindsay had her arms wrapped protectively around her chest against the pain of trying not to laugh out loud. The image of his wife looking so relaxed and happy made his own humiliation worth it and he picked up his tiny cup and held it to his lips pretending to drink.

"This is the best tea I think I've ever had," he admitted to his daughter with a smile.

Lindsay unfolded her arms from her body and held up the platter of imaginary cookies. "If you think the tea is good, wait til you try the cookies. Our daughter is an excellent baker." The laughter in her voice sounded like music to Danny's ears. He picked up the imaginary cookie, took a bite, and then put his hand over his heart.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven. Lucy you must make these more often."

For the next hour, the outside world ceased to exist and the only thing that mattered was the imaginary world of tea parties and dress up the small family was lost in.


	38. Chapter 37

Author's Notes: If you didn't catch chapter 36 posted earlier today, don't forget to go back and read it before you read this chapter. This chapter picks up where the fluff of the last chapter ends but it gets heavier by the end. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 37<p>

After about his tenth cup of imaginary tea, Danny was convinced he'd need a bathroom for real if he pretended to drink one more sip. He was also noticing not one but two sets of heavy eyes. A glance at his watch told him it was already after 8 pm. Where had the time gone?

"I think someone is ready for a bath and bed." He announced while removing his ridiculous hat and beads. Lindsay flashed him a small smile.

"How did you know? Oh, you meant Lucy."

Danny chuckled, pleased to see her relaxed enough to joke around. "Her first at least. How about I handle the bath while you go make that call to Mac about Monday." He saw that she was about to protest and stopped her before she could start. "Tag team event. I'll handle the bath because right now I can lift her in and out of the tub easier than you could. You get the cuddles and story time of putting her to bed because let's face it, your character voices always put mine to shame. Deal?"

Lindsay nodded. It had been so nice to put all the bad stuff behind her at least for a little while. Once she heard Danny running the water for a bath and Lucy's excited giggles about what bath toys she wanted, Lindsay moved to the living room and picked up her cell phone. Convincing Danny that she was ready to work had been much easier than she'd expected; she could only hope Mac would be as easy to convince.

Mac answered on the second ring. By the warmth and concern in his hello, she knew he'd recognized her number on Caller ID. He asked how she was doing to which she truthfully answered that overall it had been a good day.

"That's actually why I'm calling," she added. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I'd really like to come back to work Monday. I'm ready and I know you'll have a gazillion conditions on what I'm allowed to do and how many hours I work, but please, Mac, I need this."

For a moment there was silence on the other line and she thought she heard a rustling of paper. Then his voice came back on the line. "_You were released from the hospital Tuesday and it's Friday now."_

Lindsay felt irritated. "Mac, I'm okay. I know field work is out of the question until my ribs fully heal but what's the harm in me coming into the lab and running scans and such?"

He chuckled. "_Relax, Lindsay. I wasn't about to say no. I was just trying to figure out who won the office pool on how long it would take you to ask. Danny said it would be today but we wouldn't let him in on the pool. Not fair since he knows you too well. How about you come in at 8 with Danny and we'll see how it goes from there. I warn you, though, the first sign I see that it's too stressful for you or too much in any way, I'm sending you home with no arguments. And you are wrong, I don't have a gazillion conditions for you; it'll be much higher than that but we can discuss them on Monday when you get here."_

Lindsay smiled, grateful once again for the support of her family and friends, even if said friends were taking bets on her. "So who won the pool?"

"_Who do you think knows you almost as well as Danny does?"_

There wasn't a doubt in her mind. "Go collect your winnings then, Mac. I'll see you Monday." She hung up the phone and joined Danny and Lucy in the bathroom. She stood in the doorway watching as the two-year-old splashed happily in the tub while Danny entertained her by bringing her bath toys to life. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, awash in the love and normalcy of what was happening before her before Danny realized she was there.

"How did it go with Mac?" It made both her and Lucy giggle that he asked the question in his rubber ducky voice as he continued to make the duck swim in the tub.

"I go in Monday morning. So, Lab pool, huh? You letting our friends take bets on me now?"

Danny shrugged not taking his eyes off Lucy - not for fear she'd get hurt but that she'd splash him good if he didn't pay attention. "Not like I could stop them. They've had pools for every other aspect of our lives, when we'd start dating, when we'd get married, how long you'd be in labor with this one, how long before I was chasing down the bad guys again. I'm just mad they wouldn't let me in on it. I would have won."

She shook her head. "Come to think of it, they didn't let us in on any of those other pools either. I don't think I want to know what everyone else guessed would be when I'd ask to come back. " She looked at Lucy. "You about finished yet, Lucy? I hear someone's bed calling."

The little girl nodded. "I's so clean I squeaky."

Danny unplugged the tub and reached for the big fluffy towel he'd put out for Lucy. He pulled her from the water and wrapped her tightly in the towel to dry her off. Lindsay followed as he carried the little girl to her bedroom. In no time, she was dressed for bed and picking out what story she wanted her mommy to read to her. As she laid on the bed with Lucy snuggled beside her looking at the pictures as Lindsay read, the young mother had to fight past the lump in her throat. How long had it been since she'd been able to lie beside Lucy reading her a bedtime story?

Lucy was sound asleep long before the story was over but Lindsay was so enjoying the act of putting her to bed that she finished the story anyway. Then she continued to lie there just watching her sleeping daughter. She knew Danny, who had disappeared earlier, was standing at the doorway watching her, his eyes full of love. She gave Lucy a kiss and eased out of the bed tucking the covers close around her. Making sure the nite light was on, she joined Danny at the door.

He wrapped his arms around her, cuddling her close. She reached up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. "You are really good at keeping your promises, Cowboy."

He smiled at the use of the nickname she'd given him when they were first getting to know each other. "Oh yeah Montana? Which promise are you referring to?"

"Giving me a routine evening. Thank you. Tonight has been the perfect end of the day."

Leading her into the hallway, Danny closed Lucy's door before once more wrapping his arms around his wife. "Who said it's the end of the day?"

His voice was low and husky and Lindsay felt a shiver run down her spine. She nibbled at her bottom lip before looking at him through half closed eyes. "What did you have in mind?"

Without saying anything, Danny led her to their bedroom. Her heartbeat was racing with a mixture of longing of what she was hoping he was referring to and maybe just a hint of apprehension. If this was going where it appeared to be, she couldn't help but wonder at the apprehension. Her whole purpose behind making the doctor's appointment and attending the support group was to alleviate Danny's concerns about making love to her. He had promised her in the hospital the morning she had practically begged him to make love to her that once she was home, that he'd show her exactly how much he loved her. That he'd spend the whole night making her feel beautiful and sexy. Was he planning on fulfilling that promise to her as well? It was what she wanted more than anything so why the niggling of doubt coursing through her?

However, he bypassed the bed and led her to their bathroom. Soft music was playing from the CD player on the counter and candles had been lit. The tub was full of what appeared to be hot water underneath a mountain of bubbles. "Lucy got her bath and then bed, now it's your turn. Take your time and relax. Soak as long as you want to."

Without another word he helped her out of her clothes and she shivered. He paused, his face close to hers. "Cold?" he practically whispered. She shook her head. The shiver had nothing to do with being chilled but everything to do with desire. Once her clothes had been removed he led her to the tub and helped her step over the side. Before she sat down amidst the bubbles she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. "Join me?"

Danny kissed her letting his hands caressingly explore her bruised and naked body. He could feel her relaxing against him but was also fully aware of the tremble in her body that said she wasn't as okay with this as she wanted him or even herself to believe. He broke the kiss and stepped back, the pads of this thumbs coming up to brush against her cheeks. "No. Not because I don't want to but because this isn't the place for it. It's one thing taking showers together that get steamy for reasons other than the hot water but that tub wasn't made for what would happen if I got in there with you. When we do this, I'm not taking chances on hurting you. Take your bath, relax and completely unwind from the stress of your day. I'll come back and help you out in a little while. Once you are in the safety and comfort of our bed, then we'll see where things go."

Lindsay wanted to protest but deep inside where she didn't want to admit existed was a little relief to have the decision taken away from her. She sank into the hot bubbles and rested her head on the pillowed towels that Danny had strategically placed at the head of the tub. She had to admit that the water and the bubbles felt wonderful against her battered body. Relaxing tub baths had been nonexistent since she'd gotten home from the hospital simply because getting in and out of the tub hadn't been as easy as stepping into the shower.

The hot water did more to massage her sore muscles than any pain pill possibly could. She could feel her whole body turning to mush as she let the bubbles wash away the stress of the day. She couldn't help but go back to her support meeting feeling relaxed enough to actually fully process what had happened. It had been difficult but not as bad as she had feared. The meeting had started off with Tanya admitting that she was about to be moved to a different foster home at her request. She admitted that the teenage sons of the family she was currently staying with made her uncomfortable. They hadn't tried anything but had made it clear they would like to 'get to know her better' she'd said using the air quotes to show exactly what she thought they meant.

_With tears in her eyes, the teenager admitted her worst fear. "Will I ever be able to have a normal relationship with a boy? How do I tell him what my stepfather did to me? Can I even claim to be a virgin any more?" _

_Michelle had pulled the girl into a comforting hug. "Yes, you will someday be able to have a normal relationship with a boy. Someday you will meet someone and you'll realize you love him enough and that he loves you enough that what happened to you won't matter. It might not be easy but you'll love each other enough to make it work. But you have plenty of time for that."_

_Lindsay hadn't planned on saying anything during this meeting but she surprised even herself when she tentatively asked a one word question. "How?"_

_Michelle looked at her, also surprised. She had figured that Lindsay showing up was the best she would get from the injured officer during this first meeting. Lindsay didn't meet her eyes after voicing the question. "How what, Lindsay?"_

_It took her several minutes of awkward silence before she was able to articulate her question. "How do we make it work? How do we get past his fears of hurting me and my body's reactions to being touched in order to be intimate with each other?"_

_Michelle looked at the other ladies in the group. There were five others beside Lindsay, Tanya, and Michelle in the room. "You five have been in her shoes. How would you answer her question?"_

_"There's not an easy answer." Replied one woman. "My husband fought off my attackers before they could complete what they intended to do to me. It didn't matter to him what Michelle had told him at the hospital, he didn't or maybe he just couldn't accept that what happened to me was considered rape. We got home from the hospital and he thought making love to me would be the way to get me past what happened. He got mad when I had a bad reaction and pulled away from me. He accused me of not being grateful for being okay and that I was just trying to make a big issue out of it. I felt like something was wrong with me because I had reacted badly so I put my own fears aside and let him make love to me. It wasn't very satisfying for either of us. It took us, no really it took me, months before our sex life was back to normal. Sometimes though I still resent him for not taking what happened to me as seriously as he should have. It wasn't that he didn't love me; he really thought he was helping me get over what happened."_

_"I had the opposite problem." Another woman admitted. "My husband was so worried about doing something wrong he wouldn't even touch me for almost a month. I was growing more and more frustrated. Finally one night after he went to bed, I came into our bedroom and seduced him. Once he realized that I was okay and that he wasn't going to hurt me things got back to normal."_

_"How long has it been since your attack?" A third woman asked Lindsay._

_"A week yesterday." Lindsay admitted. "I know, it takes time. Everyone keeps telling me that but nobody can tell me how much time. They tell me that we're going to be okay and I know we will but I want it now. I refuse to let the monster who hurt me to have that power over me. He's not going to take anything else from me._

Lindsay sighed as she relaxed in the tub. In the end, nobody had been able to give her a satisfactory answer other than they would work through what was best for them in their own time and that they would both have to be patient with each other as they worked through it. The soft music, candle light, and the smell of lavender were all working on her tired sore muscles lulling her into complete relaxation. Her eyes closed and a contented sigh left her lips.

She almost didn't hear the door open behind her or the sound of clothes hitting the floor. Her eyes flew open when the water around her was displaced by someone getting into the tub with her. Danny's naked body eased into the tub over her and his body pressed against hers. His mouth blazed a trail of kisses from her right ear to her mouth. His hands explored her body, offering caresses and teases wherever they landed. Her body was responding to his ministrations and she smiled as he broke off the kiss to allow her to catch her breath.

"Change your mind, Cowboy?"

His breath tickled her ear as he moved his kisses over to her left ear. When he spoke, his voice was husky and thick with emotion. "I want you so bad, Montana. I don't think I've wanted you this badly since I've known you. Can you feel how much I want you?"

His arousal pressed against her lower body almost insistently. He was definitely hard and as ready for lovemaking as she believed herself to be. She nodded with a low moan of pleasure as his hands touched her in all the right places. Once more his voice filled her ear. "Are you sure this is what you want? I don't know that I can hold back much longer."

"Please Danny." The two words were all she could manage as his expert hands turned her already relaxed body into putty.

Not needing any more pleading he plunged into her hard and fast. The pain wasn't severe but the fact that it was present surprised her. She waited for him to still himself to let her get accustomed to him being inside her after so long but he didn't. Her heart began to pound as her desire turned to sudden fear with every thrust he made. Even though at times they had gotten so caught up in their passion that pain didn't register until later, he'd never been rough with his lovemaking.

"Please, Danny." She repeated almost in tears. This time the begging wasn't for him to continue but to stop. She looked into his eyes which were suddenly dark with anger.

"You are the one who wanted this, Lindsay. I told you I couldn't hold back. Don't be a tease."

For the first time in her life, she fought against her husband's advances. Water splashed over the sides of the tub as she struggled to push him off of her. All the relaxing her body had done was in vain as she was now tensed up and straining against him. She screamed his name, pleading with him to stop. She had been so sure she wanted him to make love to her, how had it gone so wrong?

Seconds after her first scream, the bathroom door swung open and Danny came rushing into the bathroom. He was alarmed to see his wife struggling against an invisible attacker. Water from the tub was spilling over the sides soaking the floor as he realized she must have fallen asleep in the tub and almost immediately into a nightmare.

He called her name hoping to wake her up. Instead it made her struggle even harder and then her entire head sank under the water. In horror he rushed to the side of the tub trying to pull her back up but she struggled against his touch, her wet body slippery as he tried to grab hold of her. It took him a couple of tries before he pulled her head above the water. Her eyes flew open as she coughed up the water she had swallowed. He pulled her completely from the tub and held her close and she alternated between coughing and struggling to catch her breath. Her whole body was trembling against him as his own heart was beating out of control.

He kept whispering words of comfort hoping to reassure her that everything was okay. He reached behind him for a big fluffy towel he had put out for her when her bath was finished. He wrapped it around her worried about how chilled she felt despite the warmth of the water.

"Lindsay, Babe, are you okay?"

She looked up at him, not even recognizing the fact that he was fully dressed as he was talking to her. She was still locked solidly in the nightmare she'd been having. She pushed him away, scrambling against the wall keeping the end of the tub between her and Danny. Her eyes full of fright she clutched the towel safely around her shaking body.

"Get out."

Shocked at the request, Danny shook his head. What had she been dreaming about? "Linds…"

Drawing her knees up protectively to her body, she covered her ears with her hands not wanting to hear him plead with her. Hard coughs still wracked her body sending waves of pain through her busted ribs. She still hadn't fully caught her breath. "Please, just please get out."

Bowing his head in defeat, he rose to his feet leaving his distressed wife shaking on the floor, a towel barely covering her. As soon as he was in the bedroom, he picked up his cell phone and pulled up a number. When the familiar voice answered, he sighed deeply. "It's Danny. I hate to ask but can you come over right away? Lindsay needs you."


	39. Chapter 38

Author's Notes: This may be the longest chapter yet. There was a lot to be covered and it just seemed to flow on and on so I hope you enjoy it. I appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 38<p>

Rationally Danny knew it would take his reinforcement at least ten to fifteen minutes to arrive, longer if traffic was heavy. Irrationally he paced back and forth outside the bathroom door impatiently wondering what was taking so long. It was killing him to listen to Lindsay coughing up the water she'd swallowed and struggling to catch her breath at the same time and not being able to do anything. He wanted to be in there with her enfolding her in his embrace soothing her fears as she recovered from her fright. However, whatever had happened in the bathroom had made his kind of comfort too uncomfortable for her to handle. So as much as it was killing him, he waited. And paced. And worried.

Was this his fault? It was obviously a nightmare that had upset her so much but had he made the climate right for such a nightmare? He had seen the signs but hadn't pushed the issue. She was trying so hard to make them both believe everything was okay; that Atwood's hold over her was broken. Because she was so convincing he'd put his own concerns aside ready to fulfill the promise he'd made to her in the hospital. Everything he had set in place while she was putting Lucy to bed was to lead up to a night full of the passionate lovemaking that she had begged from him since she'd been rescued. He had known from the tremble in her body when he held her earlier that she was still nervous and he shouldn't have held or touched her the way he had. Still he had ignored his better instincts, but was it because she had warned him of her fear that he'd refrain for fear of hurting her or because he had so little control over his own desires? Maybe if he had listened to those instincts, she wouldn't have had the nightmare. Wouldn't have looked at him with such fear.

The coughing increased and her breathing sounded so ragged. Fear seized his heart. Maybe he should have called an ambulance instead. With her nose all bandaged up, her only option for breathing was through her mouth. Hard to breath and cough up swallowed water at the same time. He risked a peak into the bathroom to check on her. She was still curled up in the corner of the bathroom shaking, the towel clutched close to her body but barely covering her. She looked so lost and vulnerable and he felt his guilt increase.

He rested his head on the bathroom door. If he was back in that hospital room right then with Atwood, the outcome would have been so different, he promised himself. Did he know exactly what he had done to this family? Did he even care? Given another chance, Danny would make sure he paid the cost for what he had taken from Lindsay, from their whole family.

There was a knock on the front door and he reluctantly left his post to answer it. Jo stood on the other side of the door looking concerned. Mac stood behind her looking equally worried. He had expected Jo but Mac's presence was a surprise. The older woman smiled and squeezed his arm. "I was at the lab when you called. Figured if Lindsay needed me, you might need Mac just as much. What happened?"

"She's in the bathroom; please, go check on her. She nearly drowned in the tub before I could pull her out." He stepped aside to allow them entrance into the apartment.

"I'll check on her in a minute but tell me exactly what happened. I can't help her if I don't know what I'm dealing with."

He quickly told her what he knew, leaving out his guilty fear that his advances might have precipitated the dream. With that knowledge she left the living room heading for the bathroom. Mac took Danny's arm and led him to the couch where he forced him to sit. The weight of what had just happened hit Danny full force and he buried his head in his hands.

"Everything was so good tonight, normal, hell, maybe even better than normal cause it was like we both realized how precious the moments were. We got disks and boxes full of pictures we've taken as a family since Lucy was born but tonight, neither one of us reached for a camera even though there were some prime shots available. We didn't because we were both so caught up in living the moment that neither of us wanted to stop long enough to capture the memory."

Mac knew all about those pictures. Even since the kidnapping, they'd all been taking turns snapping pictures of the little moments. He'd seen the picture of Lindsay and Lucy sleeping on the couch and the one of Danny and Lucy on the big slide of the park. Just as he knew that the photos Sid's wife had snapped at Stella's going away party of him and Lucy had made the rounds and had even been posted in the break room at the lab for all to see despite his idle threats. To him it seemed like their scare had given them all a better understanding of the importance of capturing such moments. The idea that the couple had gotten so lost in being a family that they had not taken pictures of it further reinforced the strides they had made in overcoming such a horrible event. "So because everything was going so great, you lowered your guard and were caught unaware when the nasty stuff came back to haunt you?"

Danny nodded. "You know how I told you in the hospital that I felt like I was walking through a land mine? I think I just stepped on a big one. I'm scared what damage it might have caused."

Mac sighed, how much more could the couple endure before they broke completely? After talking to Lindsay earlier on the phone, she had sounded so much like her normal self that he could understand why this setback had upset Danny so much. "You can't blame yourself Danny. We all knew this wasn't something that was going to go away overnight. Lindsay is a strong woman; she's got the heart of a warrior but she's not completely unbreakable. Neither are you. I've watched you with her and there's nothing you wouldn't do to help her."

Danny shook his head. "I heard her calling my name saying stop. I don't know what it was she was wanting me to stop but she was fighting against someone. You're right, there's nothing I wouldn't do to help her but tonight there was nothing I could do. Do you have any idea how helpless that made me feel?" He paused for a moment trying to get his own breathing to normalize. He quickly realized it was a lost battle. "I gotta get out of here for a little bit. I know you came to help but I think I need to work this one out on my own. I'll be back in a little while. Please stay here in case they need you."

Without waiting to see if Mac agreed, Danny bolted from the couch leaving the apartment without another word. Mac debated on whether to follow or to stay. Despite Danny's plea that he stay, he decided it would be better if he followed Danny at a distance just in case he self-destructed too much.

Meanwhile, knowing Mac would take care of Danny, Jo entered the bathroom cautiously, not wanting to further upset Lindsay. "Lindsay, it's Jo. Is it okay if I come in?"

The younger woman didn't acknowledge her presence so Jo took a few steps closer, talking to her reassuringly the entire time. Kneeling beside the distraught woman, Jo touched her shoulder. Lindsay jumped aware of her presence for the first time. She looked at her wildly.

Jo pulled her hands back but didn't move from her position. "Lindsay, it's okay, you are safe. No one's going to hurt you. Do you know where you are?"

Nodding shakily, Lindsay looked around. Jo realized she wasn't as sure of her surroundings as she wanted to believe. Then she looked back at Jo as if seeing her for the first time. "My bathroom. I was taking a bath." She trailed off obviously confused as to the rest.

Smiling, Jo nodded. She had heard the soft music and noticed the candle light. Danny had obviously went all out trying to make this a special moment for Lindsay. It was more than just a relaxing atmosphere, it bordered on romantic. Was there more to the story than what Danny had told her. "Must have been pretty relaxing. Looks like you fell asleep in the tub."

"It was all a dream. Of course it was a dream. It could never have been real." Lindsay whispered, almost to herself. Her whole body was trembling. Jo realized the towel that Lindsay was clutching was almost completely soaked and not offering much warmth. Between going from the hot water of the bath to the air conditioned coolness of the bathroom and the general shock of the dream and near drowning, her skin was like ice. She needed to get warm. Spotting a fluffy robe on the back of the bathroom door, Jo left her position next to Lindsay long enough to retrieve it. Returning she wrapped the robe around the younger woman's arms and pulled it closed.

"How about we go out to the bedroom so we can get you dried off and warmed up?" She offered. Lindsay still looked a little confused but nodded. Jo gave her a hand standing but Lindsay's knees gave out on her sending her right back down to the ground.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I can get up."

Jo shook her head. "Don't worry about it. My legs get a little wobbly after a really relaxing bath as well. You okay if I help you?"

Lindsay nodded once and Jo took her full weight helping her to her feet. It would have been easier calling Danny in to pick the woman up but wasn't sure how Lindsay would react. She was pretty sure that Danny wouldn't be able to stand another rejection. Jo got her settled in the chair at the vanity. Grabbing a fresh dry towel from the bathroom, she used it to dry the woman's trembling skin and hair. By then Lindsay was able to pull her clothes on herself. It was only after she was settled in the bed with the covers pulled completely over her that she looked at Jo confusedly.

"Jo, why are you here? Where's Danny?"

Jo pointed to the door. "He's just in the living room. He called me for help."

Lindsay blinked sleepily. Why was she so exhausted? "Why?"

"Lindsay, what exactly do you remember of what happened tonight?" Jo asked cautiously. She was starting to wonder if Lindsay had even been aware of Danny's presence in the bathroom earlier. She sat on the edge of the bed next to the huddled body of her friend.

"Danny ran me a bath while I was putting Lucy to bed. He was making sure I had a normal evening at home." A few tears ran down her cheeks. Her chest was hurting more than it had been but she wasn't sure why. "It was so nice and relaxing and I guess I just fell asleep. I had a nightmare."

Jo nodded. "Apparently a real doozy of one. Do you remember what it was about?"

The dream of Danny climbing into the tub with her, seduction turning almost violent, was vivid in her mind. It had been so real and yet surreal at the same time. It wouldn't have been the first time Danny had surprised her in either the bath or shower but the idea that he'd ever be so rough, with or without the rape in mind, was impossible to believe. Still, Lindsay wasn't ready to discuss that. Had this been Stella instead of Jo, perhaps it would be different. It wasn't that she didn't trust her newest coworker but as much as she liked Jo, the younger woman hadn't known her long enough to fully take down all her defensive walls. After all, it had taken Stella more than a year to earn that trust. Lindsay shook her head but refused to look at her friend.

Jo realized she wasn't telling her the truth but didn't push it. Whatever she had dreamed about, she wasn't willing to discuss it. "Okay, fair enough. Do you remember anything that happened after you started dreaming?"

Lindsay could remember struggling against dream Danny and going under the water. Her body increased its shaking as she could recall being unable to breath as the water closed over her head. "Was I drowning?"

Jo retrieved an extra blanket that was folded up on the edge of the bed and wrapped it around Lindsay as well. "From what Danny told me you were struggling in your dream and went under the water. He had to pull you out of the tub but not before you probably swallowed half the water. I think you pretty much scared the daylights out of him."

That explained why her chest was hurting so much. Coughs and sneezes weren't her friends as her ribs were far from healed. It also explained her bone-weary exhaustion. But it didn't explain why Danny wasn't the one taking care of her. "Then why isn't he in here? Why isn't he taking care of me? Why did he call you?" Then realizing how that might have sounded, she shook her head. "I'm sorry; that sounded like I'm not grateful that you probably dropped everything to rush over here. I really am."

Jo smiled. She was certain Lindsay was lying about not remembering the dream but she truly believed the younger woman didn't remember ordering Danny out of the bathroom. She must have still been caught up in the dream. "No offense taken. For the record, I was happy to do it. I think Danny felt like you might need a female presence. You want me to get him for you?"

Lindsay nodded. She could feel the drowsiness catching up with her but she wanted to see Danny, her Danny, the one who would never hurt her, before sleep overtook her. Jo gave her arm a little pat and left the bedroom. "Danny, Lindsay wants…." She trailed off when she realized the living room was empty. Where had the men gone? Even if Danny had gone to check on Lucy, she couldn't imagine Mac following him.

The front door opened and Mac stepped back inside, looking unhappy. "I lost Danny. He was upset about what happened and went for a walk. I tried to follow but he was out of sight before I got downstairs. How's Lindsay?"

Jo shrugged. "She wants Danny. I don't think she was aware she pushed him away."

Mac reached for his phone and dialed Danny's number. After a couple of rings, Lindsay's shaky voice answered hello. Had he dialed the wrong number by accident or was Danny without his phone? "Sorry, Lindsay. I was trying to reach Danny."

"_Hang on, he's in the living room. Jo just went to get him."_

"Don't bother, it wasn't anything important. I'll talk to him later. Get some rest." Mac hung up the phone and looked at Jo. "Danny left his phone in the bedroom obviously."

Jo nodded. "I'll take care of Lindsay; you go find Danny."

She returned to the bedroom to find that Lindsay was now sitting up in the bed. The injured women had Danny's cell phone in her hand. "I heard Mac's voice after I hung up the phone. He's here isn't he? Why is he calling Danny? Where's my husband?"

Jo sighed and sat down next to Lindsay again. She took the phone away and set it back on the nightstand. "Mac was with me with Danny called. Lindsay, when Danny pulled you out of the tub, he thought you were awake because your eyes were open and you were talking between coughs. You told him to get out. He didn't want to upset you any more than you were so he called me. I think what happened in the tub frightened him quite a bit. He left to take a walk."

Lindsay pushed the covers off of her and tried to get out of the bed. Her legs still wouldn't support her and she sat back down on the bed heavily. Upset that her body was working against her, Lindsay laid back down crying softly. Jo re-covered her and stroked her hair. "Talk to me, Lindsay."

"Danny's done so much for me in all this and how do I treat him? I push him away as he's trying to help me. I must have hurt him terribly. I need to find him and let him know I wasn't rejecting him…"

"You don't need to do anything. You didn't know what you were doing when you pushed him away. Danny's a big boy and he'll be fine as soon as he knows you are fine. Mac went looking for him. Go ahead and close those eyes and go to sleep. I'll stay until they get back." Seeing that Lindsay's eyes were already half closed, Jo figured it wouldn't take her but a second to succumb to the sleep but her eyes flew back open.

Lindsay shook her head. "No, I want to be awake when Danny gets back. I need to make sure he knows I'm not mad at him. I have to fix this." Even with her protests, her eyelids were already drooping once again. "Have to make this better."

"I'll make sure he wakes you up." Jo promised, making sure her voice was soft and reassuring. Within a few seconds, Lindsay was asleep. Jo watched her for several more minutes to make sure that her sleep was going to be undisturbed. She knew something about the dream was weighing heavily on Lindsay's mind and wished the woman she'd quickly counted as a friend had felt comfortable confiding in her. At the same time though, she knew that Lindsay was a very private person who kept her feelings close to her vest.

She hadn't really thought much of it in the months she'd been at the lab. In fact, she'd probably hadn't given it any consideration until Stella came to town to check on her and she'd seen first hand the easy trust Lindsay seemed to have her former colleague. It had bothered her more than she had wanted to admit until Stella had confronted her about it sometime during her second day of a visit. The two women had been in the cafeteria together and Stella had leveled her gaze on the Jo.

"_Why do I get a sense that my presence here has made you uncomfortable?"_

_She'd opened her mouth to protest but quickly realized it would be a waste of breath. Instead, she had taken her time adding several packs of Sweet-in-Low to her tea. Then she forced that Southern smile that seemed to disarm most people. "I guess I'm a little envious of the relationship you seem to have with Lindsay. Aside from some of the lab techs, she and I are the only females in a male dominated world. She's got this wall she puts up when its just the two of us. A wall I never realized was there until I saw how she reacts with you."_

_Stella appreciated the former FBI agent's honesty and knew it hadn't been easy for her to open up about what was bothering her. "I know all about that wall you are talking about. Took me over a year to break through it. It wasn't until I almost got in her face about what was bothering her that I got her to open up to me. It might take some time but you'll end up being someone she confides in. Lindsay likes for us all to believe that she's this incredibly strong person and she is but she's also incredibly sensitive. This is not going to be something she snaps back from right away. I'm only a phone call away but she's going to need a female perspective here in town she can trust. I'm betting that eventually that'll be you. Besides, she and I might have time on our side but the two of you have a bond that I may never have with her."_

_Jo cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "What's that? We're both from out-of-town?"_

_Stella laughed. "That too. I was thinking more of motherhood. I know she's turned to you for advice on Lucy; she's told me about how you've talked her off the ledge a time or two when that sweet little girl is driving her batty."_

She'd let Lindsay sleep on it tonight but if tomorrow she still seemed bothered by the events of this evening, she might give Stella's tip of 'getting in her face' about the matter a try. She left the bedroom and poked her head in Lucy's bedroom, just to make sure that the little girl hadn't been woken up by what had happened. Lucy was still sound asleep but she had kicked off her covers. With a small smile, she adjusted the little girl's blankets and planted a small kiss on her forehead. Just as she stepped back to the living room, the front door opened and Danny walked in looking sheepish.

"I realized I left without my phone. Pretty irresponsible of me given what's going on so I came home. How is she?"

Jo crossed the room and wrapped him in a motherly hug. He held on to her tightly and she could feel her shoulder sleeve getting a little damp. She pulled away, taking hold of his face in both hands. "She's asleep but I promised her you would wake her up when you returned. Danny, she wasn't awake when she told you to get out. She didn't remember any of it. Whatever it is you feel guilty of, she obviously doesn't share your interpretation of it. She's more upset that she hurt your feelings than by whatever happened."

Once she released him, he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the tears that were still threatening. "She shouldn't be upset about that. I deserved it. I was the asshole who was pushing her toward something she wasn't ready for."

Jo narrowed her eyes studying him carefully. "Yeah, sometimes you can be a bit of an asshole but not tonight, not with Lindsay. For the record, it looked to me like you were being a sweetheart of a husband setting up something special for her. Maybe it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to but you can't be faulted in the attempt. Don't sell yourself short."

Danny hugged her again, grateful for her attempt to reassure him even if he wasn't quite ready to believe her. "I appreciate you coming all the way over here. Maybe I panicked too early but I felt like I was as in over my head as she was in the tub."

She tightened the embrace. "Anytime, Kiddo. We are all here for both of you. You working tomorrow?"

He nodded, glumly. She smiled at him. "Well, I'm off and as it so happens, Ellie and I don't have any plans. We'll pop in some time tomorrow and check on Lindsay, maybe bring lunch with us."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Thanks again."

Before leaving Jo promised to call Mac and tell him the search was over. She also made Danny promise to call if he needed her again during the night. Once she was gone, he locked the apartment and went into the bedroom. It was almost hard to pick Lindsay out from the bundle of covers she was buried in. He knew she wanted him to wake her up but he didn't do that right away. Instead, he stepped into the bathroom and put out the candles and cleaned up the spilled water. He knew he was procrastinating but he couldn't help himself. Once everything was straightened up in there, he returned to the bedroom. Lindsay hadn't changed position. He knelt down beside the bed, reluctant to touch her and scare her again.

"Lindsay, Babe?"

Her eyes fluttered and then opened completely. She sat up with a groan of pain and he instantly positioned the pillows to make it easier for her to sit up. Reaching out she touched his cheek and he leaned against her hand, needing her touch even in his reluctance to seek it out.

"Jo said I scared you. I'm sorry."

Reaching up, he captured her hand in his fist and brought it around to his lips, kissing her knuckles. "I'm the one who's sorry. I was feeling guilty and I should have made sure you were fully awake before I overreacted. You looked like you were dreaming about being attacked again. Was it Atwood?"

Lindsay didn't want to lie but didn't want to tell him the truth either. She had seen how upset he'd been when she had admitted to him what her drugged mind had imagined him to do even if he had been careful to try to hide it. This time she wouldn't have the drugs to blame for the horribleness her mind had conjured up. Her eyes welled with tears once again. "Does it really matter?"

Danny lowered his head, her lack of answer the only answer he needed. When he looked up, she could see the pain reflected in his eyes. "I shouldn't have put the pressure on you of what might have happened after your bath. It's my fault. It was way too soon."

Panic filled her eyes as she realized he was blaming himself. She scooted forward pulling her hand from his hands so she could wrap herself around him in a hug. He remained stiff as if reluctant to hug her back. "It wasn't your fault, Danny. I wanted everything you were implying could happen. It's what I've asked you for since I was rescued. If anything it was my fault I had the dream. Just before I fell asleep I was thinking about my meeting. I really want you to make love to me, so much so that it's why I went to see Dr. Napier today. I thought if she gave her okay that I was physically okay for sex that you wouldn't have any more arguments."

Easing up from where he was kneeling in the bed, Danny gathered her in his arms and settled onto the bed with her in his lap. He pulled the covers back around her, worried by how cold her skin seemed to be. He was starting to sense there was more behind Lindsay's desire for him to make love to her than she was admitting. She seemed almost desperate for it, more so than he'd even been after he'd been shot and been physically unable to express his love to her the way he'd wanted to. He buried his face in her still damp hair. "What did she say?"

"Physically there's nothing standing in our way but she doesn't think I'm emotionally ready. She suggested that I get counseling before we took that step."

Danny nodded. Even though she had said she'd give counseling and the group sessions a try after her panic attack at the park the other day, he had been surprised at her sudden desire today to attend a meeting. Now he realized what had prompted it. He pressed her close to his body feeling her heart beating rapidly against his chest. He sighed. "I don't think one meeting was what she had in mind. You are in such a hurry about this but Linds, despite your protests to the contrary, it is obviously way too soon. If the thought of it is making you dream that I would hurt you in any way then it's not what you need. I told you in the hospital that I'm not going to hurt you. You can get mad at me if you want but I gotta tell you that in my mind 'no' always means 'no' and I'm not going to force myself on you until I'm sure you are really saying 'yes.'"

Her body was shaking once again and he rubbed his hands briskly up and down her arms hoping to warm her. When she protested, her voice sounded so much like Lucy's when the little girl was afraid she was about to be in trouble. "But I am saying 'yes.'"

He shook his head. "With your mouth maybe but your body is clearly screaming 'no' and right now I think your body is a more accurate gauge of what's right. While you were missing I was so afraid I'd never get another chance to hold you in my arms again, to feel how perfectly I fit inside you, to experience how amazing our bodies react to each other's needs and desires. I got another chance though. You are alive and here and we have the rest of our lives together. I want you so bad; I can't even begin to describe how much I ache with the need to touch you and rock your world. But as much as I want you, I want it to be right for you. If that means waiting until your body gets to that point as well, then I'll wait as long as I have to."

Lifting her head, she captured his mouth with her own, the kiss hungry and desperate with a need he couldn't describe. When she pulled back from the kiss, her eyes met his in a desperate plea. "I don't want to wait."

Danny closed his eyes unable to see the desperation in her own eyes. Not sure that he had the will power to resist her pleading even when he knew it was the right thing. "Why not, Lindsay? It's only been a week since you were hurt. Why the big hurry? Are you afraid I'll be upset or disappointed? Please talk to me, Babe. Help me understand."

Her fingers tightened on his shirt as if she held him tight enough it would somehow make things better. "I can still feel him. When I least expect it I can still feel that damn nightstick pressed against me waiting to do its worst. I may have escaped him but I can't escape the feel of his fingers pumping in and out of me like he had a right to touch me there. I had his life in my hands and I beat him but he's still got control over me and I want him gone. I spent two days as his captive but its starting to feel like I'm never going to be free of him."

He held her as close to him as he possibly could without crushing her already battered body. There was not a form of death that was horrible enough for the man who had caused her so much pain He wanted to make this better for her and if for one minute he believed that by giving in to her pleadings he could fix her pain he would do it but he was couldn't help but think it would only make things worse.

He looked up at the ceiling hoping that his words would help her not hurt her more. "Babe, you have escaped him and that feeling is gonna go away but you gotta give it time. I know you probably hate hearin' everyone say that but it's true. You can't rush your healing any more than I could when my legs wouldn't work. I wanted to walk right away and when it didn't happen as quickly as I wanted it to, I was scared it was never going to get better. I would have given up and quit trying so many times if it hadn't been for you kicking me in the ass when I needed it. I'm right here and I'll support you as you get through this just like you supported me but please don't ask me to hurt you the same way he hurt you. I can't do that. I will hold you all night; I will kiss you senseless; I will touch you in all the ways your body wants to be touched and when the time is right the other stuff will happen and it'll be so much better because we didn't rush it before you were ready. Can you trust me on that?"

Lindsay drew in a shaky breath, snuggling into his comfortable embrace. Instead of being upset to hear him say that despite her pleadings, he wasn't going to make love with her anytime soon, she was strangely grateful. She supposed that was the proof she needed that he was right that she wasn't ready for more than he'd already given her. The feel of his hands running up and down her arms was relaxing her more and more, lulling her back to sleep. As her eyes once more drifted close, she answered his question. "I trust you."


	40. Chapter 39

Author's Notes: Kind of a short chapter tonight but I didn't want to put it off another day. I hope you enjoy it. Wow, 40 chapters. I never thought this story would end up being so long when I started first started it. Who knew that an idea of Lindsay being taken hostage during a bank robbery would grow into such a long story. Still have a few more chapters left but it will be wrapping up soon.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrog Time  
>Chapter 39<p>

Lindsay slipped out of her lab coat and hung it on the peg near the door. It was almost noon but it felt like she had been there a full day. She was beyond tired but it was a good kind of tired. The type of tired she got as a result of working hard. True, all Mac had allowed her to do on her first day back was help run tests in trace lab. Her ribs made working any reconstructions difficult and it was if he knew she couldn't handle being in the ballistics lab. Still a triple homicide outside the Pelican Club had given them plenty of trace to run. She still had many scans to run but she'd promised Mac she would take small breaks during the day and a full two hours at lunch - time to eat and then hide out in her office to put her feet up and relax. If she agreed to that, he would let her work until three, just in time for her to make her four o'clock appointment with the ENT who was going to check on the progress of her broken nose.

She walked to the break room. She knew she needed to eat but she was almost too tired to even take her leftovers from the night before and heat them up in the microwave. Still, if Mac discovered she hadn't eaten, he might just send her home and refuse to let her come back for several days until he was convinced she was ready. If Danny was there, he would have already had the containers out, heated and sitting on the table for her, just to make sure she ate, but he had been called to a crime scene about an hour ago. In fact, just about everyone in the lab was out on calls leaving only the lab techs and Adam there with her.

She sank into the couch intending to rest her eyes for just a few minutes before fixing her lunch. When the sound of someone clearing their throat penetrated her sleep-filled brain, she opened her eyes to find that thirty minutes had passed. She rubbed her eyes and then looked over to see Adam standing in the doorway holding a bag from a nearby Chinese restaurant. He smiled at her nervously.

"Care to join me? I always order way too much."

Lindsay smiled. He was a terrible liar but she appreciated the gesture. She pulled herself up and over to the table. "Thanks Adam. It sounds great."

He set the bag on the table and retrieved two plates from the cabinet before joining her at the table. After a couple of bites, Lindsay looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Did Danny tell you to keep an eye on me while he was out on the call?"

Adam took a big bite of his fried rice and chewed thoughtfully. Only once he had swallowed, did he answer. "Danny. Mac. Sheldon. Jo. Flack. Even Sid called up from the morgue when he heard that everyone had gone out on crime scenes and told me to keep a careful eye on you. Not that I needed even one of them to ask it of me. Must be a pain to have so many people care that much about you."

Lindsay smiled warmly. "Must be." It would have irritated her if she didn't remind herself that they all did the same thing for any one of the lab family that was going throug a rough time. Because that's what they were, a family, and family looked out for each other. The two friends ate in silence for a few more minutes. Then Adam looked at her, his eyes filled with concern.

"How are you doing really? I couldn't help but notice the other night when we all went out that you seemed pretty freaked out most of the night. I don't think the others noticed because you hid it pretty well but I could tell."

Apparently she hadn't hid it as well as Adam suggested because just about everyone had either questioned her or Danny about that night. They had just chosen not to make a big deal out of it so as not to embarrass her. "Physically I'm getting better. I can get through most of the day without taking anything stronger than a Tylenol but I'm usually ready for something stronger by night time. Hopefully I get the big bandage off my nose this afternoon but I may still have to wear a splint at night for another week or so. It'll be nice to actually be able to breath through my nose again. Compared to what I could have experienced, I can't really complain."

"Sure you can. You've more than earned the right to complain if anyone has." Adam raised an eyebrow, for once looking completely serious. "But emotionally it's harder to shake everything that happened. The foundation of everything you have always trusted has been shattered and you don't know exactly what you can trust anymore. Things that other people take for granted or trust without question, you can't because you know how quickly it can all be taken away. You want to run and hide away from anything that could hurt you but you can't because as much as you want to, you don't want to give him that power over you even more. Afraid if you show the least little weakness, someone else could exploit it and use it against you."

Lindsay just stared at him, amazed that he had so succinctly put her fears and feelings into words. Then she thought about how he had suffered at the hands of his father growing up and realized that more than probably anyone else in the lab, he really did understand what she had been through. She blushed slightly. "Get out of my head, Ross. It's a scary place sometimes."

Her tone was teasing and he knew she hadn't taken offence to anything he had said. She reached out and gave his arm a grateful squeeze. "Seriously though. I have my good days and my bad days. Some of those good days have even been what you could call great days but at the same time some of those bad days have been pretty hellacious. I guess as time moves on the good days will outnumber the bad ones. It helps being back at work though."

Adam shook his head and then admitted, "I don't think I could have come back as quickly as you have."

Lindsay had been just about to take a bite of her sweet and sour chicken. She paused with the meat still on the chopsticks. She looked at him pointedly. "This coming from the guy Mac had to send home for coming to work with a 104 degree fever?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "It wasn't 104, more like 102.6. That's not what I mean though. Working through sickness is easy. I don't think I could get past the fear. We have a tough job; we see humanity at its worse. Or at least I thought we did until I realized you didn't just see it you had to live through it. How can you not want to stay as far away from that as possible?"

Lindsay shrugged. "You're right, we do see humanity at its worst but at least through this job we get a chance to clean it up a little bit, one crime at a time. In a way, it helps. Doesn't it make you feel better if we can prevent some other child from going what you went through?"

"Yeah, but it hurts like hell while we are doing it."

Lindsay looked down at her plate, not sure if she should ask the question that was forming in her mind. Finally she looked up at him. "Adam, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to. But, do you ever wonder if what your father did to you changed the person you were meant to be?"

Adam stood and cleaned up their lunch remains. With his back to her, he answered her question. "I don't have to wonder. I know it did. The same way surviving what happened to your friends changed you, and being in that wheelchair changed Danny. You can't live through something terrible and not have it change you. But it's up to you as to whether you let it change you for the better or for the worse. I used to worry a lot that I could become like my father. Kept me from taking relationships too seriously at times, maybe it still does. A good friend once told me though that worrying about being a good person is a step toward being a good person. It's kind of advice that keeps me going sometimes."

Lindsay blushed remembering having told Adam that after he had told her about his girlfriend Angie and he'd explained about feeling like a bad person because he was unable to be around friends who had been hurt because of how much they reminded him of her. "Maybe I should meet this good friend of yours some day."

He turned around and smiled at her and gave her a slight wink. "She's a little bit MIA for now but I think she's finding her way back. At least I hope so, cause really good friends like that are hard to come by." As he passed the table, he reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I have to get back to work. DNA samples wait for no man. However, when I talked to Mac earlier, he recommended you spend the remainder of your lunch break crashed out on the couch in his office. He claims it's more comfortable than the one in your office. Although how he knows that I'm a little puzzled by. I mean about the couch in your office, not. .." He laughed nervously. "Never mind. I'm going back to work now but I'm always available if you need to talk."

Lindsay smiled. "Thanks, Adam. I really appreciate it. Not just for lunch but for company as well."

She followed him part of the way down the hall but then turned to head toward Mac's office. She let herself in and slipped her shoes off before lying down on the couch. She was asleep before she could even think about pulling the soft blanket he had folded along the top over her.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

When Mac stepped into his office at 2:00 he wasn't surprised to see Lindsay curled up on his couch sound asleep. She didn't stir as he entered and he didn't have the heart to wake her. He took the blanket from the back of his couch and gently covered her. Then he picked up a few files he needed to work on and quietly exited the office.

Danny had come back to the lab at the same time and seemed to be hunting for his wife. Mac explained that she was still peacefully asleep on his couch. Danny looked relieved. He had been worried that she would stubbornly refuse to take it easy but he gathered that stubborn or not her body really did know what was best for her.

"You realize though she's gonna be pissed at us if we let her sleep past her agreed upon lunch break." Danny warned Mac.

"You want to wake her up?" Mac asked with a slight grin.

"Hell no. I don't think she's gotten a really good night of sleep since she came home from the hospital. But she apparently kept up her end of your bargain; if we don't keep up ours, then she might not be as willing to play nice tomorrow so I don't guess I have much of a choice."

Mac looked worried. "She still having the night terrors?"

Danny shook his head. "No, but I think in some ways the nightmares that have taken their place are even worse. She remembers those. I thought about asking Hawkes about sleeping pills for her, but didn't because you know she'd refuse to take them. She's told me before that she's scared of getting addicted to them or something like that."

"If she's not sleeping well, then you aren't sleeping well either, I'm sure. I know you want to be there for her but if it gets too much for you…"

Danny nodded. "I know to ask. Just promise to cut me a little slack if you find me passed out at my desk when I'm supposed to be doing paperwork. I better go wake her up"

He made his way to Mac's office and sat down beside her on the couch. She looked so peaceful that he truly hated to wake her up. Before he could make an attempt though, her eyes opened slowly and she smiled at him. "Hey there, Handsome."

He leaned down and kissed her gently. "Looks like you were having a pretty good nap there. Maybe we should sneak Mac's couch home with us for you to sleep on there. Looks like you were having the best sleep you've had in a while."

She shook her head, slowly sitting up and leaning against him. "Only one problem with that; it wouldn't be big enough for the both of us. I seemed to recall you promising to at least hold me through the night even if that's as far as it'll go for the time being. I plan on holding you to that."

It wasn't the first time since Friday night that she had alluded to their talk about waiting about sex until he was sure she was ready. Though she had agreed to trust him, he wasn't sure if she was truly happy and okay with the plan. That mind field he'd described for Mac seemed to be getting trickier and trickier to navigate. He was willing to admit he needed help getting through it. He loved his wife too much to allow his pride to get in his way.

She gave him a quick kiss and sat up completely. Putting on her shoes she then folded Mac's blanket, wondering how it came to be covering her. Then she gave his shoulder a squeeze before leaving Mac's office to return to work. Danny continued to sit there for a few minutes and then reached for his phone. He searched for a number that he'd just recently stored there and waited for the person to answer.

He sighed when the voice came on the other line. "Hey, this is Danny Messer. Do you have time to give me some advice?"


	41. Chapter 40

Author's Notes: There's a scene in here in the kitchen that I'll be curious to get your opinion on. I was pleased with the way it came out, so I hope it reads well as well. I'll look forward to hearing from you.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 40<p>

When Danny let himself into the apartment around 6:30, he was greeted to the sounds of a normal evening in the Messer family. Dora the Explorer was playing on the TV and he could hear his daughter excitedly chattering but he couldn't be sure if she was talking to the television, Lindsay, or some imaginary friend she might have been playing with. He could hear the clinking of dishes in the kitchen and knew he'd find Lindsay in there preparing to put dinner on the table. For just a moment, he could pretend that the last two weeks hadn't happened; that this was just a normal run of the mill day when Lindsay had been able to leave work earlier than he did.

Lucy looked up when she heard the door; her face breaking into a huge grin. She ran to give him a welcoming hug and he swung her easily into his arms. Blowing raspberries into her stomach, he grinned at the giggles his actions caused in her and the way her body squirmed in his arms as he tickled her. Even two and a half years ago, he would have thought anyone who even suggested that this would be the life he'd ever relish coming home to was crazy. Now he would fight against losing any aspect of this life with everything he had in him. That's what made the struggles Lindsay was going through so much harder; as much as he wanted to fight to protect her from her lingering fears that stemmed from what happened, he was really powerless to do much. He hated that feeling.

"Daddy, Mommy has a nose again. Go look." Lucy explained once she had caught her breath from giggling.

Danny gave her a quick kiss and set her down to go play. Then he went to the kitchen. He stood there for several moments watching Lindsay checking the contents of the oven. He smiled and knocked lightly on the doorframe, not wanting to startle her. She glanced over at him as she straightened up. He shook his head.

"You work almost a full day, go to the doctor's office, pick up Lucy from school, and cook dinner? I feel guilty."

She laughed realizing he was turning her words from the other day back on her. "Don't. Frozen fish sticks on a cookie sheet and Stouffer's family sized macaroni and cheese both popped into the oven. Hardly Food Network worthy."

He crossed the room and wrapped her in his arms loving the feel of her in his embrace. "I see a salad on the counter. I think that all trumps me heating Ma's cooking."

"If it makes you feel better, all I did on the salad was open a bag and dump it into a bowl."

He smiled at her. "Nice to see that beautiful nose again. I've missed seeing it under all those bandages."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "I don't think beautiful is the right adjective there. I've looked in the mirror. Hideous is a more appropriate term. It's swollen and bruised and actually a little crooked. But at least I can now breathe out of my nostrils instead of having to rely solely on mouth breathing. I'll take what I can get for now."

Danny caressed her cheek tenderly. "Hideous is not an adjective that could ever be used to describe anything about you. Even bruised and battered you are still the most beautiful and desirable woman I could ever imagine." He planted a feather-light kiss on the tip of her nose not wanting to cause her pain. Then he lowered his mouth to capture hers in a slow, long, sensuous kiss. A kiss that didn't have to be interrupted early to allow her to take a breath the way their kisses had been since her nose was broken. His hand ran up and down her arm and then moved to lightly caress her breast through her clothes. She gave a little moan of pleasure around the kiss and he could feel her body reacting positively to his touch. It was only when the kitchen timer went off that he broke the kiss, continuing to hold her for a few more seconds.

She looked up at him, surprised by his kiss and touches. Since hearing that she'd dreamed he'd hurt her and despite his bedroom promises, he'd been reluctant to make any overt sexual advances. What had brought on this change? Not that she was complaining. "Yep, being able to breath again has its definite advantages. As much as I'm loving this, I better get supper out of the oven before it burns."

Danny didn't want to let her go but knew she was right. He gave her another small kiss and then released her. "I'll grab the stuff from the oven while you get the drinks ready. So what did the doctor say about your nose? Everything healing okay?"

Lindsay took two tall glasses and a sippy cup out of the cabinet and carried them to the fridge to fill them with ice. "Seems like it. He gave me a splint that I'll have to wear for another two weeks when I sleep but even that will allow me to breath through my nose. He did warn that even after it completely heals, my nose might still look different. When the hospital set it, they were more concerned with repairing the damage than the cosmetics of it. He said plastic surgery would be an option if I wasn't happy with the appearance of it."

Setting the sheet of fish sticks on top of the stove next to the container of macaroni and cheese, he looked at her before turning off the oven. He made sure to keep his voice completely neutral, wanting to get a truthful answer from her that wasn't influenced by what she believed he wanted her to say. "You think you might be interested?"

She shrugged setting the ice filled glasses on the counter. "Plastic surgery is so expensive. My hospital bills already are going to be astronomical. I'm not going to add to that bill over a little bit of vanity. What's the big deal of a little crooked nose? Wasn't like I was some raving beauty before my nose was broken but for some crazy reason you still decided to marry me. Think you can still love me with a hooked nose?"

His eyes flashing, he gently pushed her against the refrigerator, his body flushed against hers. For just a moment, he didn't stop to think about whether his actions might frighten her. But even though she was trembling slightly, her eyes still reflected the trust she had in him. "I'm going to say this one more time. You are the most beautiful and desirable woman I've ever met. I will not stand here and let you put yourself down or believe for even a second that you are anything less than the most perfect creation God ever put on this planet. There is nothing about you that I don't find beautiful and damn sexy. I love every square inch of your body and that includes your nose, whether it looks like it did before you got hurt or if it's slightly crooked. I love it because I love you with every fiber in my body. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you 100% but let it be a decision based on what you really want, not clouded by fears of money or what I may think."

For just a moment Lindsay stood there, trapped between the appliance and her husband's strong body. It should have made her frightened, especially as his current position was clearly predatory and almost menacing. But strangely she found herself smiling in wonderment. "You're angry with me."

"Damn straight I'm angry. Babe, I've always suspected you might be a little insecure; why I've never understood cause like I said; you are damn hot. I know my actions when we were dating probably didn't help things but you have never once voiced any of those insecurities. Not even when I was making a complete ass out of myself after Reuben died. I'm not about to let what that monster did to you cause you to start now. So I want you to listen to me and listen carefully. I don't want to ever hear you bashing the way you look especially when you are being dead serious. Not only does it piss me off that you could even for a moment doubt how awesome you are but it physically hurts me to hear it." He looked at her for a full minute, breathing hard. His eyes were searching her own to see if his message was coming through. "Okay?"

Slowly she nodded, pushing away from the fridge so that she was crushed against his body. This time, she kissed him, amazed all over again at the love she felt emanating from him, his arms wrapping around her pulling her even closer then should be possible. These weren't just words he was saying trying to make her feel better; it was an earnest and honest reflection of his feelings for her. Though she knew without a doubt that he loved her completely, she'd never before this moment felt so cherished. The conversation about whether to have the plastic surgery would have to come up again but it wasn't anything that had to be discussed anytime soon. His mouth left hers and moved across her jaw line to nuzzle her neck for a couple of minutes before pulling away. His eyes were a little red as he looked at her, checking now for the first time to make sure he hadn't frightened her. Seeing that she looked anything but frightened or upset, he smiled.

"I guess we should put dinner on the table before a certain pint sized beauty comes wondering what Mommy and Daddy are doing."

Lindsay nodded, wondering again about the change she could sense in his actions toward her. He seemed a little more confident in his actions, not so much like he was treading through dangerous territory. She wondered what about the afternoon had changed that but didn't think it was currently the best time to ask.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay turned off the light in her daughter's room and closed the bedroom door. Walking back into the living room, she saw that Danny had settled on the couch watching a baseball game. She smiled as he argued with the umpire over what he obviously considered to be a bad call. After a minute or two of watching him, she crossed the room and joined him on the couch, snuggling into his arms. She rested her head on his chest listening to the reassuring sound of his heart beating beneath her ear.

"Who's winning?"

"If they had an ump who hadn't forgotten his glasses tonight, the Yankees would be. Lucy out for the count?"

She nodded, feeling very comfortable and at ease in her current position. "Finally, I was beginning to think she wasn't ever going to drop off to sleep. She was a little wired tonight. I think it had something to do with the bowl of ice cream someone let her have just before bedtime."

"Damn Mac for sneaking in here to spoil his goddaughter." Danny quipped, laughing when Lindsay lightly slapped his chest before snuggling down once more. "Sorry, babe. She saw me getting a bowl for myself and gave me the puppy dog eyes. You know I can't say no to the puppy dog eyes. So was it good being back to work today? You looked a little tired but content the few times I got to see you."

"You know how sometimes we work so hard that a day off sounds like a two week vacation? After almost two weeks off, I was so excited to be going back but at the same time I don't think I've been this exhausted after a day just being in the lab since right after Lucy was born. But yeah, it felt good to be back at work. Normal even."

Danny ran his fingers through her hair, lazily. He knew exactly what she meant. He could still remember his first days back at work after the shooting. Of course, he hadn't been content to just work in the lab despite being confined to a wheelchair; in fact, if he remembered correctly, he went out and found himself a crime scene before he was even suppose to be back at work. He could remember coming home so tired he could barely stay awake to eat supper but happy to feel productive again. He could feel Lindsay relaxing against him as he continued to play with her hair. Forgetting about the game, he sighed deeply, not really wanting to start the conversation he knew he needed to have but not wanting her to find out from someone else.

"I called Michelle Greer today."

She looked up sharply, surprised by his admission. She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. She knew something had happened to prompt the change in his actions toward her this evening but this was the last thing she'd expected. She knew he had just as hard a time opening up to strangers as she did. "Why?"

"I'm a cop; I'm trained to help people but none of that training tells me what I need to do to help you. Every since you opened up to me Friday about how you were feeling I've been scared out of my mind that as much as I want to do what's right, I'm really going to screw this up and hurt you worse. I thought about going to Hawkes for advice but somehow it just seemed too weird talking to a friend about our sex life even if he has been through something similar. Michelle had told me once while you were in the hospital that she wasn't just there for you but for me to call if I had questions and concerns so today I just did it."

"And?" Lindsay asked, her tone carefully neutral. She had sudden flashes of her counselor after the diner shooting turning her parents against her.

"For the record, she didn't tell me anything about what was discussed in your support meeting either as a group or between the two of you. I know you've had a bad experience with that and I'd never want to put you through the same thing. In fact, I didn't even tell her the whole story. I told her I was concerned about being physical with you despite it being what you said you wanted. I don't want to second guess every kiss or touch I make, worrying about whether I'm going to hurt you or scare you. You might have noticed this weekend I've been a little more distant than I would like and I know it's not fair to you or me to be that way."

Lindsay twisted in his arms so that she could look directly in his face. "What was her advice?"

He was glad to see that she didn't appear mad at him and then smiled humorless. "At first I thought she had misunderstood everything I was trying to tell her cause she started talking about something totally unrelated. She said some rape victims became almost obsessed with the need to take a bath or shower after the attack, like if they washed enough they could get rid of the feel of their attacker. She said some times victims had even been known to cause themselves serious injuries because they run the water too hot or scrub too hard. Then she asked me if I thought the cure to that would be keeping the victim from taking showers at all. My first reaction was to ask what that had to do with you. I guess I'm not always the most patient person in the world."

"You think?" Lindsay couldn't help but remark. He grinned at her and then continued.

"She asked me again what I thought. So I said of course not, not taking showers at all wouldn't make it better for anybody. Michelle agreed with me and said that victims who had built up that obsession had to relearn how to enjoy showers and baths for what they really were and not about what they couldn't do. Eventually they would take showers without even thinking about washing off their attacker's touches. I'm thinking great, now I'd know what to do if that had been the problem I was calling about but that I was still clueless as to what I had really needed help on."

Lindsay leaned her head against his chest again, realizing now what his touches and kisses earlier in the evening had been about. She drew lazy circles on his chest. "I was doing the same thing with wanting you to make love to me that those victims were doing with showers."

His arms tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head. "You are much smarter than I am cause I had to have it spelled out for me before I got it. She suggested instead of making it all about the actual sex I should trust my initial gut reaction. Instead of worrying about what kissing and touching you could lead to, I could just make it about making you feel good, reminding you how good things can be and will be eventually. I think she kind of gave me permission to make out with my wife like a pair of horny teenagers in the backseat of a car. I don't know about you but I kind of like the sound of that." He grinned at her, his eyebrows waggling a little suggestively.

Lindsay laughed, feeling more at ease with the conversation than she would have thought possible. She also felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. What she was feeling wasn't crazy; it was just one more thing to get past. She knew that Danny would be the perfect person to help her with that. "Well, I guess we wouldn't have to worry about my dad coming in and catching us like if we were really teenagers. My dad has skills with a gun that would make a sniper look sloppy."

"No offense, Babe, but talking about your dad and a shotgun isn't that great of a turn on. But for the record, he won't have anything on my skills when Lucy starts dating when she's thirty-five."

Lindsay rolled her eyes at the familiar argument about when Lucy would be able to date but didn't comment. "I know it wasn't easy for you to call her but I'm glad you did. Did she have any other suggestions?"

Danny stared at the TV for a couple of seconds, completely unaware of what might be happening with the game. "She offered to recommend a couple of support groups for husbands of rape victims. I'm not too sure about it but if it helps me help you then I guess I guess I could give it a shot. After all, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to encourage you to go to counseling if I'm unwilling to give it a try. What is it you tell Lucy? I'll be brave if you are?"

She knew it would be the last thing he'd be comfortable with even if he thought he was helping her by doing so. She propped herself up on his chest for a moment. "What about beers with a guy who's been in your shoes?"

Danny regarded her carefully. "You talking about Hawkes?"

She shook her head. "Sam, the guy who was stabbed while we were held captive. His wife was raped over twenty years ago while they were still dating. He offered to help where he could and gave me his number. Maybe when Carla and Joshua come back to town, he could join the two of you."

It was obvious Lindsay knew him pretty well and her suggestion did sound much better than some sort of formal group. "I could give it a try. After all, if it's horrible, I don't have to go back, right?"

"So I've been told. Danny, do you remember all those years ago when you showed up in Montana when I had to testify? What made you come all that way?"

It had been years since they talked about that sudden trip. Danny shrugged. "It just seemed like what I needed to do. I had a feeling you needed a familiar face and I just went. Wasn't much thinking involved with it."

She smiled. "Exactly. You're instincts where my needs are concerned are usually pretty damn accurate. Don't be afraid to trust them."

Danny kissed her again, once more letting his hands do a little exploring and teasing. He didn't add that Michelle had suggested that he use what he knew about her attack to avoid any touches that might immediately cause her to flashback to the attack but he hadn't really needed Michelle to tell him that. Perhaps Lindsay was right; he needed to just learn to trust his instincts a little more.

- CSI: NY -

Author's Note 2: Nope, I haven't forgotten about a certain check that Flack is holding on to. It will come into play before the end of the story.


	42. Chapter 41

Author's Notes: I had hoped to not only have this chapter but chapter 4 of Gassed ready for tonight but I got tied up getting things ready for a church yard sale tomorrow so only this chapter got finished. I hope you like it. Reviews are as always welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 41<p>

Lindsay Messer looked through the microscope, then back to the crime scene photos she was using as a reference, frowned, and then looked back at the slide on the microscope. "That doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense?" asked Adam from his perch on the other side of the lab where he was waiting for results from a DNA test he was running.

"This wound. Jo recovered a ceramic hunting knife at the scene that she believed was used as the murder weapon. But I'm seeing metallic shavings in the samples of the wound track Sid sent up. Metal shavings that aren't consistent with a ceramic knife. I don't think it was the murder weapon."

Crossing the room, Adam looked at the evidence she was indicating. "I think you have something here. I'm running the blood from the knife right now. Let's see if it matches the vic's DNA."

It only took a couple more minutes before the results were in. Adam frowned. "Blood is not a match to our vic. If that knife didn't kill our victim, then whose blood is that on the knife and what did kill our vic?"

Lindsay glanced at the reconstruction lab. She believed she could figure it out given enough time. "Help me get a pig in position in the other room and I'll find out."

Adam shook his head. "You are only suppose to run trace. You'll hurt your ribs…"

"Not if you lift the pig for me. Stabbing it with different weapons isn't going to hurt me." Lindsay recognized his hesitancy and flashed him that same look that always got Lucy her way with her daddy, a look the child had learned almost from birth at her mother's side. "Come on Adam, if there was someone else here that could do it, I'd turn it over to them but there's not. Mac might not be happy about me doing it but he'd be less happy about not getting the results he needs to make an arrest. I'll take full blame if he comes in with his angry eyes on again."

Adam actually chuckled. "I think you've watched Toy Story 2 a few times too many."

She smiled at him. "At least I have a two-year-old at home. What's your excuse for recognizing the quote? Please Adam? I promise if it hurts me, I'll stop and wait until someone else comes in."

Against his better judgment and with a growl to show his displeasure, Adam agreed. In no time, he had the pig set up for her and had returned to run his tests. Lindsay surveyed the weapons they had at their disposal and loaded a tray full of the ones that matched the right shape and size to make a similar wound. She rolled the tray to the pig and pinned up the photo of the wound so she could readily compare it to the wounds she made in the carcass of the pig.

Halfway through her selection, she still hadn't made a match. Her ribs were twinging with pain but not seriously enough to make her quit. Picking up a fire poker she made one more swing at the pig. That swing hurt more than the others, probably because of the force needed to lodge it into the skin. She couldn't stop the groan the movement caused but immediately looked around to see if Adam had heard her. Danny and Mac were both standing in the doorway watching her, the latter definitely spotting what she had called his "angry eyes."

"What are you doing?" Mac Taylor asked, his voice not betraying what he was thinking or feeling right then.

She ignored the question as she realized this wound looked exactly like the one in the photo. Picking up the strongest magnifying glass she had with her, she looked inside the wound. It wasn't as obvious as it would be under the high powered microscope but she could faintly see the metallic shavings. She smiled broadly as she looked back at the two men. "Finding the real murder weapon in the Rossman murder. It wasn't the knife Jo recovered but a fire place poker."

Coming into the room, Mac looked at the wound she had caused in the pig and then at the crime scene photo. Then he looked at her. He wasn't happy that she went beyond his orders for just working Trace but the almost giddy expression on her face made it difficult to truly be upset. It was also hard to fuss at her knowing that for the week she'd been back at work, she had been very good about following all of his stipulations. As far as he knew this was the first time she had gone against what he had asked for her. "Good work but what happened to not overdoing it?"

"I didn't." Lindsay promised. "The doctor said I shouldn't lift anything over ten pounds and I didn't. I got someone else to lift the pig and I rolled the weapons' tray over. Not a single one of those weapons weighed over five pounds."

"Welcome to my world, Mac. At least she's abiding by the ten pound limit here at work. I can't seem to convince her that Lucy weighs well over that limit when she picks her up at home. But Babe, I have to admit we both heard the groan of pain you just gave so your little foray back into the world of reconstructions wasn't exactly as pain free as you'd like us to believe."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Guys, I know you are concerned about me but I'm fine. I've known both of you to do much more with even worse injuries and God help the person who suggests either of you take it easy. Give me at least a little credit for knowing both my job and what my body can handle."

Danny came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, chuckling warmly. "Easy Tiger, retract the claws before you draw blood. It would be a little hard to explain another crime scene here at the lab. I've been watching you for about ten minutes now and Mac for about five; if we'd been that upset or worried about what you were doing we could have put a stop to it long time ago. But now that you've done the hard work, why don't you take a break and let me put this stuff away. Maybe you'd even like to take a couple of Tylenol for that pain you don't want us to know you are having."

Lindsay agreed without argument. Even if she was a little annoyed with their over protectiveness, she understood their concern and loved them for it. Before she took even a step toward the door, she reached out and touched Mac's arm. "I'm sorry if I disappointed you but I was really trying to do what was best for the case without hurting myself."

Mac pulled her in for a one-armed hug. She wasn't back to being the same Lindsay they had known before the bank robbery but she was so much closer than she had been even a week ago. She was less skittish and seemed more centered emotionally. That meant that Danny was also less of an emotional mess than he had been. Mac hadn't asked how things were going at home because it wasn't any of his business but he was certain some major corner had been turned in her recovery. "You could never disappoint me. I'm not thrilled but I understand. Maybe we can look at lifting some of those restrictions later. Right now, I need to go find Jo and tell her what you've found about the murder weapon."

Once Lindsay was out of the lab, Danny started putting away the weapons she had been using. He glanced over at Mac. "Thanks for not bustin' her chops about this. Frankly, I'm surprised she stayed out of here this long. You know how much she loves reconstructions. It's been hard on her, she's not the rebel type; that's always been more my thing, but at the same time, she's wants nothing more than to prove to herself and everybody else that's she's okay."

Mac nodded. "And is she? Okay I mean?"

Danny ran his hand over his face thinking about his answer before responding. "Is she 100% over everything that happened? Not by a long shot; she might not ever be, but yeah, for the most part, she's getting there. We've gone the last three nights without any nightmares and she hasn't had to take anything stronger than Tylenol for pain in a couple of days. I'm not deluding myself; I know there are going to be times when it all comes back to bite us in the ass but for the first time since all this happened I'm not tensed up waiting for the next shoe to drop."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Two hours later, Danny and Lindsay were sitting in the break room enjoying the chance to have lunch together at work when Flack came into the room. He pulled a chair up to that table and sat down with them. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Lindsay without saying a word.

She gave him a questioning look before unfolding the paper and reading what was on it. Her eyes widened in surprise and handed the paper to Danny before looking at Flack. "What? How? I don't understand."

Flack grinned. "Never thought I see the day when you were left speechless about something."

Danny was also stunned at the paper in his hand but he shook his head at his friend. "I wouldn't make her mad, Flack, you wouldn't like her when she gets angry. I saw first hand what she could do to a pig with a whole array of weapons. It ain't pretty. Seriously, why are you handing my wife a check for $5000 and who is Dan Monisett? The name sounds familiar."

"He's the owner of Channel 14 and uncle to Finn Bestly. He wasn't too happy when he discovered what his nephew had done and wanted to do something to make amends. That's not all, the station's attorneys are working on a reasonable settlement in lieu of getting sued over the story that ran while Lindsay was missing. I've actually been holding on to that since before the bust but Mac recommended I hold off giving it to you until the city's attorneys decided if it would break any rules. It took a while for them to investigate all possibilities but they finally agreed there was nothing stopping you from getting it."

The couple stared at each other for a couple of minutes. Then Lindsay took the check back from Danny and tried to return it to Flack. She shook her head. "I can't take that. It wouldn't be right. Nothing that happened was this man's fault; he shouldn't have to pay anything."

Flack refused to take the check. "He ain't gonna take it back. I think he might even be offended if you tried. Put it toward your medical bills, put it in a trust fund for Luce's college tuition or for therapy when Danny makes her life miserable over not dating. Maybe you even do something fun with it like throw a humungous party for all of your friends or go on a real vacation somewhere. I don't know but the money is yours. I gotta go; Jo and I have to question a suspect in the Rossman case. Good catch on the fire poker by the way, Linds."

Just as quickly as he had come in Flack left. Lindsay continued to stare at the check with a frown. "It's not fair, Danny. Everyone is paying for what happened except the ones truly responsible."

Danny scooted his chair closer and wrapped his arm around her as she leaned against him. "They're gonna pay, Babe. As soon as it goes to court, they'll pay. Don't doubt that. I know you don't like the idea of accepting this money but it's here and we can't give it back and apparently more is on the way. We'll just have to figure out the best way to use it. It's not even something we have to decide right now. We can deposit the money in a savings account until we figure everything out."

Lindsay nodded. Danny was right, nothing had to be decided right away. Just because they had a check in their hands didn't mean they had to spend it immediately. She folded the paper and then reached behind Danny sliding her fingers into his back pocket. He raised an eyebrow at her actions. "Hey, watch it there Mrs. Messer. We are at work, remember."

"Shut up." She pulled his wallet from his pocket and put the check inside the inner fold. She offered the wallet back to him. "Here, you can put it back since you don't want me back there."

Giving a quick glance around to make sure no one was looking toward the break room, he pressed his lips against hers for a quick kiss. Then he grinned. "Babe, your hand is welcomed wherever you want to put it. I think the rule we have for Lucy's toys applies here. You got it out, you have to put it up."

Lindsay couldn't help but grin. Though they still hadn't taken that step of making love, she had to admit that she was enjoying all the flirting they had been doing and those moments when they got carried away touching and teasing each other. She slid it back in his pocket. "Hey, you were the one complaining about me groping your butt."

He rested his head on her forehead and whispered so that even if someone came into the room, they wouldn't be able to hear him. "Tonight when we get home, you can grope my butt or any other part of my body you feel the urge."

She shrugged nonchalantly but he could tell she was excited by the offer. "Maybe if you are lucky, Cowboy. Right now, I have a date with Adam in Trace."

As she stood up, Danny took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. "How many times do I have to tell you that Lucy ain't dating until she's 35 and you are only allowed dates with me." She responded with a quick peck on his cheek. Typically they were very careful about keeping public displays at work at the bare minimum but it was as if almost losing everything had caused them to rethink that policy. They didn't do anything at work that would force Mac to reprimand them but they didn't avoid the casual kiss or hug that they might have previously skipped while at work.

"Then how about we make a date to meet in the locker room just before I get off. I'll get that check back and stop by the bank to open a savings account for it on my way home." Lindsay offered.

His breath caught in his throat. She hadn't been to the bank since the robbery and he wasn't sure she was ready for it. He knew he wasn't. He caught her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "I'm off tomorrow. Why don't you let me take care of it then."

Lindsay shook her head. She knew what he was doing and she loved him for it. But still, she had to face that fear sooner or later and later would only make it that much harder. "How about we both go tomorrow after I get off?"

Danny smiled, willing to accept that compromise. "It's a date."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

It was almost three o'clock. Since she had started back to work, three o'clock had been the time she'd gotten off as part of the conditions Mac had put on her. As he had promised her in the reconstruction lab, Mac had agreed to lift a few of those conditions. She could work reconstructions as long as she showed good judgment in not pushing herself too much. He also took away the mandatory second hour of her lunch where she'd been having to rest but left it as an option if she felt she needed it. He also agreed to let her work until five. Working in the field or the ballistics lab were still strictly off limits. Lindsay hadn't argued with him. Getting back to more of a normal schedule felt good to her even if she was sure she'd be exhausted by the time she and Danny got home that night.

"Hey Lindsay, did you get the results back on that hair sample I gave you earlier?" Jo asked coming into the lab.

"Still waiting. Nothing in the local database so I expanded the search. Unfortunately, that takes awhile."

A man in a suit appeared in the doorway looking in. The two women looked at him wondering who he was and how he managed to get in the crime lab. He looked at a clipboard in his hand. "Lindsay Monroe Messer?"

Lindsay straightened and took off her latex gloves. "That's me. Can I help you?" She crossed the room, not wanting to grant access into the actual room to some stranger. He handed her a tri-folded piece of white paper on a blue background.

"Have a nice day." He was gone as quickly as he came.

Confused, Lindsay opened the paper and read what it had to say. Jo became alarmed when she saw how pale her friend had gotten. She led Lindsay over to a stool and made her sit down. "That looked a lot like you were being served. Lindsay, what is it?"

Lindsay looked at Jo, her eyes brimming with tears. "I didn't expect this so soon. I knew it would happen but I figured it would be a longer time in coming."

Jo shook her head and asked again. "Lindsay, what is it?"

"A summons to appear in federal court. Atwood 's trial has been set for next week and I'm being called to testify." She looked around almost frantically at the evidence she still had out on the table then back at Jo. "I have to get out of here. Can you take care of the evidence for me?"

Jo nodded but wasn't sure if Lindsay even saw it as she bolted for the door. She wanted to go after her friend but knew she had to secure everything first. Besides, she realized Lindsay needed someone else more. She reached for her phone and called Danny's number.

A few minutes later, Danny opened the locker room and found Lindsay sitting on the floor with her back to the lockers just staring at the court summons. He knelt beside her and took the paper from her and set it aside before pulling her to him. "Jo told me about the subpoena. I guess federal court's idea of a speedy trial is different from the state's idea. You okay?"

Lindsay shook her head, burying her head in his chest. "I know I have to do this but I don't know if I _can_ do this. It was hard enough giving my statement to Flack; how can I sit on that stand and tell an entire courtroom what they did to me especially with him sitting there looking at me. You know he's going to enjoy seeing me in pain; he'll probably get off hearing me repeat all the filthy things he did and tried to do. I think back to when I testified against Cadence and how hard that was and I was only a witness then. What if I'm not strong enough to do this?"

Danny held her close feeling a sudden wetness on his shirt that had to be coming from her tears. Just hours earlier he had bragged to Mac about not worrying about the next shoe falling and now here the mother of all shoes had clobbered them both in the head. Why did he feel like that one piece of paper was about to undo all the progress she had made? "Then I'll be strong enough for both of us. I know it's gonna be tough but once it's over, Atwood will never again be able to hurt you. If he does get pleasure from seeing your pain, at least we'll have the last laugh in knowin' it'll be the last moments of pleasure he ever sees again in this lifetime. You'll get through this and then the absolute worst will be forever behind you."

Lindsay looked up at him, her emotions coming back under control as he talked to her. "Promise?"

Leaning down he let his kisses be his promise.


	43. Chapter 42

Author's notes: I was going to jump forward another week and go straight to the trial but since RandomTVFan30 was curious about how things went at the bank I decided to do a chapter about that. Hope you like it. Warning, the end of the chapter definitely earns the M rating again. Your opinion is important to me.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 42<p>

Lindsay stood outside First National Bank Manhattan staring at the building, her feet feeling like they were enclosed in cement. She told herself that she was simply waiting outside the bank because she promised Danny she would wait for him before going in but she didn't believe herself. For all her attempted bravado, the idea of going into that bank scared her to death even with the knowledge that the men who had robbed it in the first place wouldn't be able to hurt her again.

For the first time since she'd gotten permission to return to work, albeit in a limited capacity, she had been forced to ask Mac if she could leave at lunch. She'd gotten a call right after she arrived at work from the federal prosecutor who wanted to meet with her that afternoon to discuss her testimony next week at Atwood's trial. Of course Mac was more than willing to let her leave early so she called Danny to explain the situation and move up their meeting at the bank to an earlier time.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Danny's voice was right at her ear before she realized he was standing beside her. Taken by surprise, she jumped and let out a startled squeal. A couple of people walking by gave them curious glances before continuing on their way.

"Damn it all to hell, Danny. What's with sneaking up on me like that?" Her heart was pounding frantically in her chest.

Danny pulled her into his arms and held her as she struggled to get her breathing and heart back under control. He frowned; the last thing he had wanted to do was scare her. He'd been so careful not to catch her unaware and frighten her but now he had gone and done just that at a time when he was almost positive that she was stressed to her limit. "I'm so sorry, Babe. I really thought you saw me. You were looking right at me as I walked up so I just assumed."

"Well, I didn't." Lindsay countered petulantly. Her knees were shaking so hard that Danny wasn't sure how she was still standing. There was a small café next door to the bank and he led her over to an outside table and made her sit down. He knelt to the ground in front of her rubbing her cold hands briskly to warm them up and to calm her down. A single tear ran down her cheek. "I'm sorry, Danny. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's not your fault I was so zoned out. I guess this is bothering me more than I'd like to admit."

Danny eyed her carefully. "I know I'm probably wasting my breath here, but again I repeat, you don't have to do this. It's not like the rest of today is going to be a walk in the park; why add to your stress if you don't have to?"

Suddenly Lindsay realized that a small crowd had gathered on the sidewalk near the café and seemed to be watching them intently. She wasn't sure why until she realized that when Danny had knelt in front of her, he had just gone down on one knee. She started to giggle which grew into almost hysterical laughs when he looked at her in confusion. He apparently hadn't noticed their audience. Leaning forward she gave him a scorching kiss to the delight of the crowd. When they began to applaud, Danny pulled back and looked at them, noticing their presence for the first time as the crowd dispersed now that it seemed the drama was over. He looked back at Lindsay who was now crying with laughter instead of fright. Between laughs she started to explain.

"Sorry, Babe. They thought you were proposing to me. I couldn't leave them hanging wondering if I was going to accept your proposal or not. How about you pull that chair closer so we don't draw another crowd."

Amused, but not quite seeing the event as funny as she apparently had, Danny wasn't sure if he should be glad she'd found humor in the moment or worried that she was bordering on a mini-breakdown. Danny did as she suggested as a waitress for the café came over to their table and offered them menus. Danny took them with a look at Lindsay. "I haven't had lunch and I'm betting you didn't eat anything before you left the lab. We might as well eat something while your nerves settle back down. And even if you don't think you can eat anything, you are still gonna try."

Lindsay nodded and looked over the menu. She settled for a small bowl of chowder figuring that would appease Danny and not sit heavy on her stomach as the rest of the day progressed. Danny ordered a BLT sandwich. Once they were alone again, Lindsay finally addressed her husband's concerns. "I know I don't have to go into that bank but I'm going to. Maybe I am trying to prove something to everyone including myself by doing so; I don't know. There's nothing in that bank that will hurt me; I know that but still I'm scared to death of walking through that door. But what am I going to do, never go to the bank again? All my life I've run away from places where I've been hurt and I'm tired of running."

"The diner?" Danny asked. Lindsay nodded.

"The diner was the first but it wasn't the last. Do you realize I've never gone back into that bar where you were shot? You've gone a few times with the guys after work but I go out of my way to not even walk on the same side of the sidewalk. If you suggested we go back to that same lighthouse for a vacation, I would beat you senseless and neither one of us ever went back to our old apartment after what happened with Casey. That's what I do; I run from places that have a chance to bring me pain and I'm tired of it."

"A'right. If you are sure, I'm behind you all the way." Danny reached over and squeezed her hand tightly.

Lindsay shook her head, her short honey colored hair giving a light bounce. "Not behind me, beside me. As much as I want to be brave and pretend I can do this all on my own; there's no way I could do it without you right there with me. Same with talking to the prosecutor this afternoon. I'll be honest, both the bank and the interview terrifies me. Maybe once it's over we can pick up Lucy and go home and close out the whole world for the rest of the night."

The waitress returned with their food and drinks. Lindsay picked up her spoon and stirred it aimlessly in her chowder, not hungry but knowing Danny wouldn't let her get away with not eating. She lifted a spoonful to her mouth and had to admit that it tasted better than she figured any food would taste today. Danny took a big bite out of his sandwich and waited until he had chewed and swallowed the bite before answering her. "It's a deal except for one part. We ain't picking Lucy up from school this afternoon. Jo called me after I got off the phone with you. She heard about your meeting and figured you might be a little stressed afterward. She insisted on picking Lucy up from school and taking her home with her for the night. Before you protest, Jo wants to do something to help and she and Ellie apparently have this big night planned for Lucy and I think we should let her do this for us. Lucy will have a blast and I can focus on you."

By the time they had finished their small lunch, Lindsay's nerves were a little more under control and she was ready to go into the bank. Danny paid the check and wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked next door. He was glad she wanted him by her side because there was no place else he would want to be. If he was completely honest with himself, he was just as nervous about going into that bank as Lindsay was but for different reasons. This was the place that almost cost him the two people who mattered most to him in this entire world. The last time he was there he had to face the fact that unimaginable sadists had fired shots that impacted mere inches from his daughter's head and taken his wife hostage. He had known that only a miracle would bring her home to him alive and he'd never been more grateful to have been granted that miracle.

They walked through the door and Lindsay became rooted to the spot. He could feel her trembling and realized she wasn't seeing the lighter than usual crowd but was once more right back to the day of the robbery. Every fiber in him wanted to pick her up and bodily remove her from the room but he resisted the urge though it almost hurt him physically to do so. Instead he simply pulled her closer to him so she had no choice but to remember that she wasn't alone in this. His breath was warm on her ear as he whispered words of reassurance in her ear.

It took her about five minutes of just standing there before he felt her trembling lessen and she nodded that she was okay. Still, something told Danny she still wasn't ready and that feeling was confirmed when she barely took a step before she stopped again. She was breathing through her mouth much the way she had while her nose was all bandaged up but Danny was sure it had more to do with trying to control a sudden bout of nausea brought on by nerves than trying to breathe.

"Ma'am, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to move away from the door." The security guard stood before them obviously trying to figure out if they were casing the place or something. Danny glared at him, wondering where all this concern for safety had been when the robbery took place. Logically he knew that this guard hadn't been working on that day; those guards had been gunned down. He guessed he really couldn't fault the guy for being overly cautious given what had happened.

"Just give us a second, buddy." Danny practically growled. Understanding the guard's concern was one thing, being happy about it in light of what Lindsay was going through was something totally different. But Lindsay shook her head.

"No, really I'm fine. Let's just do this, okay." She took two faltering steps and Danny realized she was okay to do this. He also realized her statement probably still sounded suspicious to the guard who was watching them carefully.

Once at the counter it only took a few minutes to complete their transaction. Lindsay let Danny do all the talking until it was time for them to leave. Then she looked at the teller, a kind faced elderly woman. "Has Amanda Hayes come back to work yet?"

The teller, the same teller who had searched for Lucy the day of the robbery, recognized Lindsay from then. She shook her head. "She's on medical leave for another few weeks. She's much better but her cardiologist wants her heart to get a little stronger before she deals with the stress of coming back. I'm so glad that you are okay. From what Amanda described, all of you went through something horrific. I'm taking her a casserole tonight when I get off work; would you like me to tell her you were asking about her?"

Lindsay nodded her thanks and then allowed Danny to lead her outside the bank. Once outside, she looked up at her husband. "It's over, right? I went in and nothing bad happened, right?"

Danny kissed her tenderly holding her close. "It's over and I'm very proud of you. One hurdle down and maybe it'll mean the next one won't be so bad. How about we take a cab to the federal building instead of trying to walk it."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Three hours later, Danny opened the apartment door and led an exhausted Lindsay into the apartment. He was pretty sure she was simply moving on automatic pilot and was pretty wiped out himself just from watching her go through the interview. He locked the apartment door behind them and led her to the bedroom where Lindsay immediately collapsed onto the bed and curled up on her side. He removed her socks and shoes where she'd be slightly more comfortable and covered her with a throw from the edge of the bed before kicking off his own socks and shoes and lying down beside her, holding her close.

The prosecutor hadn't wanted Danny to sit in on the interview but had relented after it took Danny twenty minutes to pull Lindsay back from the panic attack the thought of going through the meeting without him caused. If it hadn't taken all his concentration and energy to help Lindsay, Danny would have fed the prosecutor at least one of his fists without a thought about the consequences. Once she realized Danny wasn't going to be kicked out, Lindsay calmed enough to start the meeting. The prosecutor went on to explain that the trial would not be a closed courtroom but that the judge had forbidden reporters from being in the galley. Then he began asking Lindsay questions about what happened, coaching her on how he thought she needed to frame her answers to avoid opening herself up to a difficult cross examination. Though he knew the prosecutor was only doing his job, Danny felt like Lindsay was being put through the wringer a week earlier than she'd expected. In the end, the prosecutor had warned that he was sure that Atwood's attorney would stop at nothing to get his client off and that he couldn't fully prepare Lindsay for all contingencies. He promised to make her court appearance as easy as he probably could but what he could do would probably be pretty limited.

Now, on the bed, she shifted beside him, pulling his attention back to her. She turned to face him and lifted her head up to kiss him. A kiss Danny was only too happy to indulge in pressing her into the bed gently as he rolled her over onto her back. The throw he'd put over her was pushed out of the way as her hands ran down his back and then tugged his shirt free from where they had been tucked into his jeans. When she started to unbutton his shirt, he pulled back slightly, his eyes questioning hers.

"Shh, please Danny, no arguments about it being too soon and no promises about how far this is going to go. I just want to feel your body against mine. Please just make me feel good and we'll just see where it leads." Her voice was low and the tone a different one from the other times she'd begged him to make love to her. Trusting that this was what she wanted and not something she felt compelled to do, Danny allowed her to resume unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off his shoulders. He returned the favor by unbuttoning her own blouse to reveal her bra clad breasts. She raised herself off the bed in order to allow him to remove her blouse and unfasten her bra. Her upper body was now completely bare and he ran his hands over the soft skin. He was mindful of the bruises that were slowly fading to just a memory but he didn't focus on her injuries, wanting only to make her feel special.

She lifted his wife beater over his head so that they both were naked from the waist up. He pressed her back onto the bed, his body flush against her own. He loved the feel of her breasts pressed against his bare chest but he wanted more. Kissing her deeply, he brought a hand up and tenderly cupped one of her breasts in his hand. He loved the way the swell of her breast fit so perfectly in his palm. As his hands explored, caressed, and teased both of her breasts, his mouth never strayed from her own. His kisses so full of love that it didn't matter to her if she breathed or not, so long as he kept kissing her. Her own hands weren't still as they ran up and down his bare torso before fumbling with the button of his jeans.

As if no time at all had passed since the last time she had done this, she had his jeans open and her hands sliding into the front of his pants, caressing his manhood through his boxers. He moaned into her mouth as her touches threatened to send him over the edge at first contact. He didn't question her actions, her body was telling him that she was more than okay with what was taking place. Instead of worrying about hurting her, he concentrated on the intense pleasure her touches were causing in his own body. She slipped her hands under the waistband of his boxers, slowly pushing the fabric of both the boxers and his jeans down past his rear end, freeing him from their confines and he grew and hardened at her expert touch.

Panting, he broke his kiss and stared into her chocolate eyes. "Baby, you feel so good. You have no idea how much your touch turns me on. Then again, I guess maybe you have at least a little idea. What can I do for you? Tell me what you want."

She was breathing hard as well, feeling a heat rising in her as his fingers swirled around one of her nibbles. She arched her back in pleasure at his touch. Her brain refused to command her mouth to moved so she temporarily released her hold on him to tug at her own pants, wanting to be free of them so she was completely undressed. Realizing what she was doing he pulled back. She whimpered slightly afraid he was about to put a stop to what was happening. He silenced her with a kiss as his hands took over from what she was trying to accomplish. He slid her pants and underwear down to her ankle where she could kick them off the rest of the way. Then he removed the rest of his own clothes.

Both of them were now completely naked and his eyes traveled down her body, eyeing her appreciatively. Bracing himself with one hand, he hovered just above her body, not touching her at all. His own blue eyes were darker with the passion he was feeling for the woman he loved. He took one of her hands in his own and kissed her knuckles.

"You are in control here, Sweetheart. You gotta tell me what you want. Tell me how you want me to make you feel good."

"Please… Will you… Danny, my breasts…"

"Your breasts are so beautiful, babe. They are perfection. What do you want me to do with your breasts?" If this was really going to happen, and Danny was losing any doubt he might have had that it wasn't, he wasn't going to make a move without knowing it was what she wanted.

"Your mouth… I want to feel your mouth on my breasts." Her whole body was almost quivering in anticipation and pleasure but he could see no sign of anxiety in her. Needing no further urging, he captured one breast in his mouth, flicking his tongue out to encircle her nipple. He took his time lavishing every inch of her breast before switching over to give her other breast the same attention. Her whimpers of pleasure were telling him that he was hitting all the right spots. Her hand snaked down and took one of his hands in her own and guided it down to the soft curls that hid her most private areas, leading him rather than telling him what she wanted. He lifted her head looking up at her in concern.

"Are you sure, Babe? I don't want to hurt…"

"Please Danny. I want to fill you inside me." Her chocolate eyes were almost pleading with him.

Nodding he reached over her to open a drawer on the bed side table. He pulled out a bottle of lubricant and awkwardly squirted some on his fingers. He didn't want to take any chances of causing her pain. Then he slipped his hand back down to her womanhood and first caressed the outer folds of her body, watching her careful for any bad reaction. Her eyes never left his face, begging him to continue. Carefully he inserted a single finger inside her. Immediately she tensed up, her hands reflexively gripping his arms as she fought an internal batter between her desires and her body's reactions. He didn't remove his finger but remained perfectly still until the moment passed and her desires, at least temporarily, overpowered her fears. She closed her eyes to shield any lingering fears that might take up residence there and gave him a nod indicating she was ready for him to continue. He carefully began moving his finger around inside her first very slowly and then with increased rhythm and pressure. Once he was sure he wasn't hurting her, he added a second finger. Releasing his own arms, her hands gripped the bedspread below her, her body almost convulsing in pleasure, especially when his head dipped back down and recaptured her breast in his mouth. The moans of pleasure he was drawing out of her was increasing his own arousal but this moment was all about her wants and needs. They would have plenty of time later for his own.

"Danny, I'm so close, Baby. I'm about to explode." Her breathing was increasing and he knew her body well enough to be fully aware that she was about to climax without her voicing it. He lifted his head wanting to see the passion and pleasure in her eyes as the orgasm hit her.

"Open your eyes, Linds." He commanded gently and she complied, her eyes liquid pools of emotion. He smiled at her. "Don't hold it back, Sweetheart. Let it go. I've got you." His voice was husky with desire. Her womanly muscles tightened against his hand and her body arched up from the bed. He continued his ministrations as she rode out the waves of pleasure. A few tears slipped down her cheeks but he knew they were good tears and he kissed them away. As she started to come down from her emotional high, he slipped his fingers from her body and drew her close to him.

She was completely spent both from the emotional stress of the afternoon and the aftermath of the pleasurable ride Danny had just taken her on. She was already half asleep but she forced her eyes open to look at him. "Don't want to sleep, want to make you feel good as well." But her eyes were already drooping again.

He kissed her, letting his tongue lazily explore the inside of her mouth. He tucked her comfortably into his embrace and pulled the throw back over the bodies. "Shh, You have no idea how good you made me feel just because I was able make you feel so good. It's okay, Baby. Go on to sleep for now; I'm not going anywhere. There's no hurry for anything; we got the whole night ahead of us."

"I love you." Lindsay promised as sleep won its battle over her.

He gave her one last kiss before snuggling down to nap with her. "I love you too."


	44. Chapter 43

Author's Notes: It seems like I keep pushing the end further and further back. This chapter took on a life of its own so I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 43<p>

Lindsay looked at the bedside clock and wondered not for the first time if it had somehow forgotten how to keep time during the night. Hadn't it already read 2:30 a couple of different times when she had looked at it? It didn't seem like this night was ever going to end, but at the same time she wasn't sure why she was in such a hurry for it to do so. Once that clock turned 6:30, she would have no choice but to get up, shower, dress, get Lucy ready for school and then with her husband at her side face the monster who had done his damnedest to completely destroy her. Why was she in such a hurry for that?

Going to sleep earlier in the evening hadn't been a problem. Stepping out of Lucy's room from putting the two-year-old to bed, she had walked straight into her husband's waiting arms. Knowing how tense she was in anticipation of the trial the next day, he had silently led her to the bedroom where he had slowly undressed her before easing her on to the bed. Despite the inroads they had made toward resuming a normal sexual relationship a week earlier, they had only had full intercourse once since crossing that invisible barrier that had stood between them. That time had been later the same night and once again, Danny had left her in full control over everything that had happened. While the experience had been more than satisfying for the both of them, it hadn't been without it's moments of blinding fear for Lindsay despite how gentle and patient Danny had been with her. The tears she had cried after they had both collapsed on the bed after riding out their mutual orgasms had been a mixture of love for this man she was so fortunate to have in her life and of pain with the knowledge that no matter how much they both loved each other, what had happened to her was going to continue to affect her no matter how much she wanted it forgotten.

Though they had still had pretty incredible make-out sessions in the week that followed, this was the first time Danny had actually initiated anything bolder than kisses and touches designed to please not to frighten. The look he had given her as he laid her bare body on the bed had told her he would pull back if it wasn't what she had wanted but that he wanted her to trust him. She had surrendered her control over to him without hesitation knowing he would be just as gentle and protective as he had been before even if her body did have its moments of weaknesses. By the time exhaustion pulled them both into a deep and satisfied sleep, her body had become completely relaxed and completely loved by his ministrations.

Dreams had pulled her out of that sleep not even two hours later. She'd managed to open her eyes and pull herself from their hold before they became full nightmares that would have woken Danny as well but sleep had then become elusive. Naturally, her dream had been about the trial slated to begin later in the morning. She had been on the stand answering questions from the prosecutor when she felt Atwood's eyes boring into her full of lust and hatred; he was actually licking his lips as if imagining all that he could and wanted to do to her. She could hear murmurs coming from the people gathered in the galley and wondered what the commotion was about until she looked down at her own body. She'd been horrified to see that she was sitting there once more naked with her arms shackled behind her with the zip ties. She had looked to Danny for help but he was sitting there, his own expression of horror looking back at her, powerless to do anything to help her. She had woken up, her heart pounding in her chest but she was glad she hadn't woken Danny. She wasn't sure she had the words or the energy to voice her fears about the upcoming trial. Even if she could, there was nothing Danny could do but worry about her and she knew he was worried enough without adding to it.

So she had continued to lie on her side, spooned against her husband watching the numbers slowly change on the bedside clock. For the moment she felt safe, tucked into the embrace of her husband, one of his arms comfortably cushioned under her neck and the other cupping her breast as if to promise that there was more to come. One of his legs was crooked over her own, and she was glad for its familiar heaviness to keep her grounded. She didn't want to move, didn't want to wake Danny or risk losing the protectiveness of being in his arms. Her pillow was damp from the tears she hadn't been able to stop but she had managed to keep the threatening sobs from causing her body to shake too much.

Danny's hand on her breast twitched and he began to gently kneed the soft flesh he was holding. She could tell by the way his whole body shifted that he was waking up and tried to reign in her tears before he noticed. His slow, even breathing changed and she could feel the warmth of his breath at her ear. He pressed a kiss in her hair.

"I know you're awake, I can tell by how tense your are in my arms. It's okay, Baby, go back to sleep, it's still early." His voice was low and husky with sleep. He drew her closer into his embrace and was about to drift back to sleep.

"Yeah, you too." Her own voice was small and she hoped he was still too asleep to hear how teary it sounded. Instead, he rose up on the bed to turn on the bedside light. She tried to bury her face in the wet pillow to keep him from seeing that she was upset but it was no use. Using the arm under her neck, he gently rolled her towards him, cursing when he saw her red puffy eyes.

"Aw, Linds, how long have you been awake? Why didn't you wake me?" He held her close, his arms closing around her tightly, letting her cry. Now that she didn't have to worry about waking him up, her sobs broke past the protective dam she had erected around them. It took her a few minutes to get them under control enough to speak.

"I didn't want to bother you. It's stupid. Testifying against Atwood is the final hurdle to getting past all of this. I should be glad that it's coming to an end. He can't hurt me any more, not unless I let him so why am I giving him this power?"

"Lindsay, look at me." Danny gently ordered. He waited until her face, looking a little fuzzy since he wasn't wearing his contacts, was looking directly at his. "You could never be a bother to me. If you are hurting, then I want to be there for you even if I can't do anything more than hold you while you battle your fears. And your fears aren't stupid, Babe. Didn't you say Michelle and the other women warned you at your last support session that facing him again would probably be emotionally rough? Hell, I'm dreading being in that court just because I know how painful it's gonna be and I know I can't protect you from it. But Lindsay, you won't be there alone. I'm gonna be right there. You just keep your eyes on me and forget everyone else."

She sniffled and he immediately reached for a tissue for her to blow her nose. Once she could breathe through her healing nose again, she answered him. "But the prosecutor said I need to make eye contact with the jury, that they needed to see what he had done to me."

"Screw him. There is no way a single one of those jury members will not know the hell he put you and the others through whether you look them in the eye or not. This is your life not some cheap entertainment thrill for anyone and you gotta do what you have to do to be okay through it. If at any point it gets too difficult for you, ask for a recess. You heard the man, he's gonna make it as easy for you as he can; if that means asking for recesses, then it's the least he can do. If he doesn't ask for a recess, I'll stand up and demand one for you."

Lindsay giggled just a little at the thought of Danny interrupting the proceedings demanding the judge call a recess. She kissed him softly. "Please don't do anything that will upset the judge. I've heard federal contempt charges can be expensive."

Danny chuckled but then looked her in the eyes seriously. "No promises, Babe. You are going to be my only concern in that courtroom and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to keep you safe, physically and emotionally." He continued to hold her for a few more minutes, glad to feel her muscles starting to relax again. He loosened his hold on her so that he could allow his hands to roam her body, nothing sexual in mind but touching her in the places that he knew always relaxed her enough to sleep. When her eyes began to droop once again, he kissed her softly. "Go back to sleep, Sweetheart."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Sleep had been friendlier to Lindsay after that; when the alarm went off at 6:30, she didn't stir. Danny turned off the alarm and eased out of the bed, determined to let her sleep as long as he could. He took a quick shower and dressed in his black dress pants, maroon button down and sports jacket. He didn't think he needed to wear a tie since he wouldn't be on the stand but he'd ask Lindsay's opinion when she was finally awake. Stepping back into the bedroom, he was glad to see that she hadn't so much as moved a muscle in the time he'd been in the bathroom. He heard Lucy babbling on the monitor and smiled. Sometimes he wondered if she was going to be that easy to wake up once she reached the age that she didn't find school fun anymore. He was just glad he have quite a few years before he had to worry about that. He walked down the hall and opened the door to her bedroom and she looked up at him with a big grin, running to hug him. He got her ready for school and then went to fix breakfast. They had to be at the courthouse by 8:30 so he couldn't let Lindsay sleep much longer but he was reluctant to interrupt her sleep. She hadn't actually answered his question in the early morning hours about how long she'd been awake but he was pretty sure from how tense she'd been when he woke up that it had been awhile. The day was going to be emotionally draining as it was, she needed to be as rested as possible before it started.

He could hear the shower running and realized that Lindsay had woken up and was getting dressed. He poured Lucy a bowl of Fruit Loops and got her settled at the table eating her breakfast. Lately she'd gotten on a kick of not wanting milk on her cereal. He didn't fight it since she still happily drank her milk in her sippy cup. Once she was content with her own breakfast he thought about what to fix for Lindsay.

He was pretty sure Lindsay would protest eating anything but there was no way he would let her out of the house without eating at least something. Surely she would be able to handle a couple of slices of raisin toast and a helping of scrambled eggs. He started on the eggs and then put two slices of raisin bread in the toaster. He heard the shower cut off and figured Lindsay would be in shortly. She'd spent an agonizing two hours after arriving home from work the day before on the phone with Stella asking her opinion on what to wear to court so she had an outfit already picked out. He put the eggs and toast on a plate and set it on the table, noticing as he did that Lucy's cereal bowl was empty. He shook his head. "You really eating that or hiding it your pockets somewhere?"

"Gone, gone, Daddy. Mo' p'eas?" She handed her empty bowl to him. He shook his head and added a little more to the bowl. He gave her a kiss on the top of the head, surprised that Lindsay hadn't emerged from the bedroom yet.

"Luce, you sit here and eat your cereal and let Daddy check on Mommy, okay?"

She nodded happily shoveling the cereal rounds in her mouth like she hadn't eaten in forever. He shook his head as he left the kitchen for the bedroom. He was surprised to see Lindsay, dressed only in her robe, digging in her closet, a mountain of clothes piled up on the bed. "Babe, what are you doing?"

She whirled around, her eyes almost wild. "I can't figure out what to wear. Nothing seems right."

Danny leaned against the dresser, his arms folded across his chest, watching her. He didn't bother to ask about the outfit she'd picked out with Stella's advice the night before. He was sure this sudden frantic behavior didn't have anything to do with picking out clothes. Though she was always stylishly dressed, she just wasn't someone who worried about her clothes that much. He let her look for a few more minutes and then crossed the room to wrap his arms around her. "Your breakfast is getting cold. Why don't you go eat and I'll pick out the perfect outfit for you. You trust my style don't you?"

She leaned against him. "You would think I would look good in nothing at all."

He grinned wolfishly and planted several kisses along the side of her head. "I've seen you in nothing at all and I know you look better than good, try amazingly beautiful. But your birthday suit is not an outfit I'm willing to let others see you in. I promise I'll pick something you'll agree with." She tensed in his arms and he wasn't sure what he had said that upset her so he turned her around. Her eyes refused to meet his. "Babe?"

"Does it bother you that _he_ saw me without any clothes on?"

Danny sighed and wished he could take back his earlier statement. He had intended to make her feel better not worse. "Yeah, it bothers me a lot but that's on him, not you. But for the rest of his hopefully short life, the only naked bodies he's ever gonna see are the other men in his cell block during shower time. Now, before our little bottomless pit empties her second bowl of Fruit Loops, get in there and eat your toast and eggs. Don't even try the 'I'm not hungry' route cause I'm not buying it."

Surprisingly, she didn't protest as she left the room. He began putting the clothes back in the closet, stopping only when he was back to the long brown wrap-around skirt and hunter green short sleeved sweater the two women had picked out the night before. That outfit he left lying on the bed and returned to the kitchen. To her credit, Lindsay managed to get one slice of the toast and about three quarters of the eggs down before she pushed the plate away to go get dressed. By 7:30, the small family was leaving the apartment to drop Lucy off to school and then head to the federal courthouse.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"You are going to wear a hole in that floor if you keep pacing like that." Danny Messer warned as he watched his wife make about the fiftieth pass in the last twenty minutes. "Not to mention that you are wearing me out just watching you. Come sit down over here, Babe."

With a groan, she completed the final pass that took her back to the bench Danny was sitting on and flopped down beside him, his arms automatically coming around her in a comforting hug. She rested her head on his shoulder trying to draw from what seemed to be an infinite pool of calm surrounding him.

Upon their arrival at the courthouse, the bailiff had informed them that Lindsay had to remain outside the courtroom until it was her turn to testify. Mac and Flack, who were also slated to testify were allowed to go inside for the whole court case. Since they were expert witnesses, they weren't seen to be in danger of having their testimony influenced by what was said by others. They had promised to save Danny and Lindsay seats on the front row behind the prosecutor. That way Lindsay would be able to easily see Danny during her testimony. The others from the lab had wanted to be there but since crime didn't stop just because of court, Mac had to deny their requests.

The first two and a half hours of waiting hadn't been too hard on Lindsay. Both Sam and Carla had been forced to remain outside as well so she had them to keep her from getting too frazzled. Neil and Amanda hadn't been called as witnesses for this trial since Atwood hadn't had much to do with the treatment they had received but they would be called when the other three men went to trial. Sam would have to testify at both trials. The attorney for the other men had won his request that they be tried separately from Atwood due to the added charges he had incurred due to his escape from jail. After Sam had been called and he and his wife had entered the courtroom, Lindsay had sat down next to Carla and delicately asked about Joshua's absence. The younger woman explained that she had asked him not to come. Things were better between them after the time they had spent with her parents but he still had a tendency of getting distant again when she talked about the rape. She felt that it would be better if he didn't have to sit through listening to her testimony.

Shaking her head, Lindsay had asked softly. "What about what's better for you?" She couldn't imagine walking into that courtroom without Danny at her side. Carla had shrugged and admitted that she was terrified but that Sam and his wife had promised to stay after his testimony to be there for her.

Now, thinking about that conversation, Lindsay looked up at Danny. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

Danny smiled at her. "Every day in every look and touch you give me and with every word out of your mouth. This will all be over soon, Babe."

"I don't even want to imagine where I would be if you hadn't been there for me this last month. I don't think I would have even survived being a captive if I hadn't had your love to protect me. I know I probably haven't always been the easiest person to be around lately but you have been so amazing through this. I'm so lucky to have you."

Danny leaned down and gave her a kiss and then responded. "I'll always be here, Babe. I worried while you were missing about what would happen if we got you back and you couldn't handle being around me. I figured that if it was best for you, I'd somehow have to find the way to let you go but I don't think I would have been able to do it. It's like I told you before we got married; you and I just make sense. You say you wouldn't have made it without me but I know I would be just as lost without you."

For several more minutes Lindsay continued to sit there being held by him. Then with a growl of frustration she glanced at her watch. "It's been almost two hours since they called Carla in. Have they really been questioning her this long?"

She pushed up from the bench and resumed her pacing once more. The courtroom door opened and she stopped, staring at the opened door with a deer caught in the headlights look in her eyes. Flack stepped out and walked toward them. He looked at them.

"Mac sent me out to check on the two of you. You need anything? I can get the two of you some coffee."

"No coffee." Danny immediately replied. As wired as Lindsay seemed to be, coffee was the last thing she needed to add to her system. He wanted to ask how things were going inside but he knew Flack couldn't say or it could jeopardize Lindsay's testimony. So he asked the next best thing. "Got any idea how much longer until they call Lindsay?"

Flack shrugged. "Shouldn't be too much longer."

Lindsay gave him a worried look. "How is Carla? Is she handling it okay?" She didn't have to know what kind of questions were being asked, she just needed the reassurance that the girl wasn't being hurt any more.

Flack reached out and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Better than I would have thought. I mean, I don't think she'd want to list the experience as one of her top ten favorite ways to spend a day but she's holding her own."

The door to the courtroom opened again and this time people came pouring out of the room. Worried about what it could mean, Lindsay crossed back to Danny's side and into his comforting arms. Mac and the federal prosecutor were the last two out of the courtroom. They joined the Flack, Danny, and Lindsay. Mac's expression was grim. "They've recessed for lunch. Court resumes in two hours."

Lindsay slumped against Danny. She wasn't in a hurry to testify but this waiting was getting to her. "Two more hours? How much longer after court resumes will I have to wait. Will I even testify today?"

The prosecutor looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Detective Messer. I never expected the first two witnesses to be on the stand this long. I promise, you will take the stand as soon as court resumes. Why don't you and your friends go get something to eat and relax in the meantime. You look pretty tense."

As he walked off, Danny glared at him and growled under his breath. "You think? You little prick." Lindsay slapped his chest lightly and his arms tightened around her. "Sorry, Babe, I just don't like that guy. There's no sense in him keeping you out here all morning waiting like this. I guarantee you if we had kept him waiting for even a few minutes, he'd be out for our heads."

Mac regarded the young couple carefully. Both looked exhausted, Danny's manifesting itself in his angry outburst while it almost seemed like Lindsay was unable to stand still for even a second. Both needed a change of atmosphere. "There's a diner a few blocks from here. Like him or not, he had the right idea about you getting something to eat and relaxing. My treat."

They walked the short distance to the diner, Mac hoping the exercise would help to settle Lindsay's nerves slightly. Once in the diner, Lindsay excused herself to go the restroom, asking Danny to order for her. It didn't matter what he chose for her because she doubted anything would taste good to her right now. As soon as the bathroom door closed behind her, Danny looked at Mac. The two men who had been inside the courtroom couldn't discuss the case with Lindsay but there was nothing stopping them from telling him. "Be honest, how is it going?"

Mac shook his head. "Atwood plead not guilty by reason of mental defect. I have no idea where he's going with it. The prosecutor took maybe twenty or thirty minutes with both witnesses and the rest of the time the defense attorney has been questioning them. I'm beginning to think the attorney has a mental defect. The jury appears to be as confused as the rest of us as to what angle he's trying for. It's almost like he's helping the prosecutor rather than Atwood."

Danny played with the menu on the table. "He really keep Carla on the stand for over two hours? I don't know if Lindsay can handle that. She's putting up a good front but I know this is getting to her."

Flack frowned. "Yeah but she's got one advantage over Carla. She's used to testifying. She'll have this guy for lunch."

The waitress appeared and they all quickly ordered hamburgers and fries. Once the waitress left, Danny glanced at the bathroom where Lindsay was still holed up. "Lets hope so cause I'm not sure how much of this lunch she's gonna be able to force down."


	45. Chapter 44

Author's Notes: Lindsay's testimony is given in this chapter so it goes back into the dark side. I hope the courtroom scene doesn't come across as too dry. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 44<p>

"We call Lindsay Messer to the stand." The federal prosecutor announced as soon as court resumed after lunch.

The bailiff opened the door and directed Lindsay to enter. Knowing her legs were working stiffly with the pent up nervousness, Danny walked up the aisle with her, keeping one arm around her waist. Once he reached the front row, where Mac and Flack were once more saving him a seat, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered in her ear. "Remember, just keep your eyes on me and it'll all be over soon."

Danny took his seat and Lindsay continued on to the witness stand. After she swore to tell the truth she sat down. Immediately she could feel Atwood's eyes boring into her. She didn't look his way but she could picture the predatory look that would be on his face and felt him mentally undressing her with his eyes. Her hands tugged at the hem of her sweater, both to give her hands something to do and to reassure herself that her dream from the night before wasn't coming true. Despite Danny's reminder, Lindsay couldn't help but steal a look over at the jury members. Eight men and four women running the gambit of ages stared back at her. Whether it was actually there or not, she could almost feel the judgment in their gazes and her heart began to hammer in her chest. A buzzing filled her ears making it impossible to hear anything. Just when she was sure she was going to stand and flee the courtroom she could feel Danny's safe and comforting presence drawing her gaze back to him. Her eyes shifted to where he was sitting and he gave her a reassuring wink once he was sure her attention was fully on him. The buzzing diminished.

"Mrs. Messer?"

Lindsay realized he must have already asked her a question but she had no idea what it was. "I'm.." Her voice cracked and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She knew from experience that testifying as a cop was completely different from testifying as a victim. This was proving to be no different. "I'm sorry, could you repeat the question?"

"Certainly. I asked if you would state your full name and occupation for the record."

"Lindsay Monroe Messer, I'm a crime scene investigator with the New York Crime Lab."

The questions started off pretty benign as the prosecutor established for the record how Lindsay had become a hostage. Despite Danny's dislike for the man, the prosecutor seemed to recognize that Lindsay was being grounded by maintaining eye contact with her husband. So that he didn't get in the way of that, he stood slightly to the side, effectively blocking Atwood's view of his former victim.

"Will you please describe for the court what happened once you and the other hostages were taken into the warehouse?"

Lindsay took a deep breath though she knew there were parts of her captivity that were fuzzy and would probably always remain so because of the drugs she'd been forced to drink, those first moments in the warehouse came back with crystal clarity as if it had just happened. She began to recount the memory.

"_One week ago today, these five individuals were standing right where you are standing." The same man who had announced at the bank they were being taken hostage was now speaking from his place besides the other set of hostages. He appeared to be the leader. "Some, like yourself, already a little battered and bruised; some only witnesses to a glimpse of what we were capable of. They have provided us with great entertainment in the last week. Some, more than others."_

_Leaning down, he pulled the conscious female to her feet and kissed her brutally. Again, Lindsay realized it was mild compared to the other sexual offenses the woman had endured. The woman's body trembled but she didn't fight back; apparently she had no fight left. He broke off the kiss and pointed his gun at her head. Lindsay stiffened, anticipating what was about to happen. The leader grinned at their horrified expressions. "They have, however, outlived their usefulness." _

_Without another word, he pulled the trigger._

Tears filled her eyes but didn't fall when she finished the memory. "I worked the crime scenes for the other hostages…"

The defense attorney jumped to his feet. "Objection, Your Honor, the witness is not testifying in an official capacity. Why are we hearing about crime scenes?"

"Sustained." The judge, an older woman with a no-nonsense attitude, answered.

Not wanting the interruption to throw Lindsay, the prosecutor continued on. He knew her story and where she'd been about to go with her statement. "You've seen dead bodies before, did that prepare you for seeing those five hostages murdered right in front of you?"

"Nothing can prepare you for seeing five people who had already obviously suffered horrendous atrocities gun down in cold blood by monsters…"

"Objection, your honor. Unfairly prejudicial."

Lindsay didn't wait for the judge to offer a ruling on the objection. "Sorry, your honor. I'll rephrase. Nothing can prepare you for seeing beaten and battered people shot without reason before your very eyes."

"What happened next?"

"We were left alone with the bodies. I knew that would be the five of us in a week's time unless I did something." She went on to explain how she had put the evidence from under her fingernails on one of the bodies. She'd barely finished when the defense attorney jumped to his feet again.

"Your Honor, in light of this testimony, I would like to make a motion to suppress the DNA evidence the prosecution plans to use due to a fatal flaw of chain of custody."

The prosecutor turned to look at him. "Your honor, as the defense counsel has already stated in an earlier objection, the witness is not testifying in an official capacity, how then could her testimony show a flaw of chain of custody?"

The judge didn't looked impressed with the defense counsels continual objections. "Motion denied. The prosecutor is correct, you can't have it both ways, Counselor."

The questioning continued in this vein for the next twenty minutes. It seemed like with every question Lindsay tried to answer, the defense counsel had some sort of objections. It was obvious to everyone involved that he was doing it more to keep Lindsay off kilter than to really voice legitimate concerns. It seemed to be working. Her voice was getting shakier and shakier. Danny knew she needed a break but neither she nor the prosecutor was asking for one. He drew his finger across his neck trying to signal her to cut off her testimony by asking for a recess.

This brought a new objection from the defense counsel. "Your Honor, it appears that the witness is being coached by someone in the galley. I ask that the bailiff remove him from the courtroom."

Panic flew into Lindsay's eyes at the thought that Danny might have to leave. She broke her eye contact with him to looked frantically to the judge. "Please, your honor, he's not coaching me. He's my husband and he's just worried about me getting too upset. Please don't make him leave."

The judge looked from Lindsay to Danny and then from the prosecutor to the defense attorney. "Objection overruled."

The defense attorney started to reiterate his objection but the judge stopped him. "Overruled. I saw what you saw and I do not believe there was anything even remotely nefarious about it. Although I will caution you Mr. Messer that I might not be similarly inclined to overlook any further communication attempts. Mrs. Messer, do you need a short recess?"

Lindsay shook her head, her eyes pleading with Danny to understand. What she needed was for this to be over with and all the continuous interruptions were just delaying the end of her testimony. "No, your honor. I'm okay to continue."

The trial continued and Lindsay worked hard to hide how unsettled she continued to feel at the questions from the prosecutor and the objections from the defense. It was harder when the questions turned to the more painful and intimate moments Atwood had put her through. She had practiced talking about the rape with Michelle and even Jo so that she could do so without becoming too overly emotional. But it was one thing talking one on one with a sympathetic ear and something totally different with a roomful of strangers. Even focusing only on Danny didn't make her forget that the others, including her rapist, were listening to her every word.

At long last the prosecutor ended his questions but asked for a ten minute recess before the cross examination. The judge agreed and the jury was dismissed. As soon as the door to the jury room closed, Danny was on his feet and at Lindsay's side. She didn't rise, not sure she could trust her legs to support her if she did.

"You okay, Babe?"

She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. The prosecutor brought her a bottle of orange juice. "You are doing a great job, Lindsay. I don't know what he thought he was pulling with all those objections. He certainly didn't make any friends with the jury with them. If anything he made you an even more sympathetic witness than you already are and that's extremely sympathetic."

The cold juice in her hands and leaning into Danny's embrace, she tried to put her earlier testimony behind her so that she could focus instead on what would happen next. She looked at the prosecutor. "What could be left for him to ask me? It seemed like I told everything that happened already."

The prosecutor shook his head. "I don't know. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out where a defense attorney is going with his game plan but I'm clueless when it comes to him. Just be prepared for anything. I'm not going to promise that I'm not going to object because if he gets out of line I will but I'm not going to jump in every two seconds like he did."

Danny was rubbing her back tenderly, hoping to offer her some sort of comfort. If there was any way he could trade places with her he would.

The prosecutor continued. "I told her last week to make sure you made eye contact with the jury…" Seeing that Danny was about to jump down his throat, he continued quickly. "Forget what I said about that. It's obvious that you focusing on Danny is helping you. I'm going to make sure when I sit down, I'm not blocking you. Just promise me, Danny, if you want to tell her something you will go through me and not get caught communicating with her again. I don't think the judge will be as forgiving next time."

Danny nodded. He hated not being in control of this situation. He wanted to be able to protect Lindsay from the pain she was enduring during her testimony. The prosecutor warned them that the recess was about to end and then walked away to give them a few minutes of privacy. Danny looked into Lindsay's eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Baby. Just a little bit more and this will be over. As soon as this trial is over, you, me and Lucy are going aware somewhere for a few days. Mac's already agreed to approve the time off. All we have to do is decide where we are going. Sound good?"

Lindsay looked him in the eye and smiled. He was glad to see that it wasn't forced but genuine. "Sounds wonderful actually. I can't wait."

Danny took his seat again as the judge came back to the bench. Atwood was brought back in and then jury came in and court was resumed. The defense attorney stood. "Mrs. Messer, I think we can all empathize with what you went through. I don't think anyone can dispute how painful your experience was. You are obviously a strong person who had your power taken away from you."

Danny could tell the prosecutor was dying to object but was holding on to his promise not to have all the constant interruptions. He was shocked and proud then when Lindsay made the protest for the prosecutor.

"I'm sorry, if there was a question in there, I missed it."

The judge had to hide a laugh that threatened to burst forth. She covered it with a cough. "She's right, Counselor, if you don't have questions for this witness, please release her."

"Sorry, your honor. Mrs. Messer, you testified to the treatment you received at the hands of my client. Do you know why he chose to try to hurt you with a night stick?" He moved away from his table, standing directly in her eye line with Danny effectively blocking her view. It also opened up Atwood's ability to smirk at her, though she stubbornly refused to look his way.

Unable to look at Danny, she turned her focus instead to her wedding band, trusting that his love and support was still there even if her view of him was blocked. "He said it was revenge for treatment he received at the hands of a guard when he first arrived at Rikers to serve a sentence for armed robbery."

"What treatment was that?"

"Objection, your honor, hearsay. Mrs. Messer was not present at Rikers when this alleged act took place." The prosecutor interrupted, apparently feeling it was important enough to speak up.

"I'll rephrase, your honor. Did Mr. Atwood give you a detailed account of what that treatment consisted of?"

"Yes." Lindsay had testified enough to know how to use the question to evade giving more information than she needed to give. Although she had to admit, she felt like she was channeling Danny at that moment. Flack delighted in telling everyone the story of when Danny testified at Mac's hearing about the Clay Dobson murder, reminding everyone every chance he got of how when Danny was asked to read something he did so but silently until the person questioning him added the out loud part.

It seemed to have the same effect on the defense attorney as now he was the one who appeared to be losing control. "What did he tell you?"

"That a guard sodomized him with his night stick so that he would know what it would feel like before he was raped by other inmates."

"Sounds brutal for any one to have to go through. Did you feel sorry for him knowing what he had experienced?"

Lindsay looked up from her ring to see that Danny had changed seats so she could once more see him. She locked on to his gaze, tears filling her eyes once more. "It's a little hard to feel sympathy for someone when he's seconds away from ramming a foreign object up your ass. He was so sexually aroused by what he was about to do to me that he was ejaculating. He was practically bragging about the pain he knew he was about to cause me so no, I didn't and don't feel sorry for him in the least."

She wrapped her arms around herself suddenly cold and trembling. Tears were streaming down Danny's face. She heard someone from the jury box sniffle but she didn't look that way. She looked back down at her wedding band, hating that she was having to put Danny through the pain of hearing what had happened to her once again but grateful for his comforting presence.

"Do you hate my client?"

"Yes." Her one word answer barely a whisper, just loud enough that the court reporter was able to pick it up for the transcript.

The defense attorney smiled. "And yet in a bathroom in this very building you had the chance to end his life, but you chose not to. Why?"

"Because he wanted me to kill him and I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. I refused to be his weapon." She admitted. She wished he would finish his line of questioning so she could leave. She was ready to be home, curled up in Danny's protective embrace where Atwood had no power over her.

The defense attorney smiled at her. "Just a few more questions, Mrs. Messer. If you could describe his actions in one word, what would that word be?"

"Sadistic." Lindsay answered without hesitation.

With a nod, he went back to his desk and picked up a large book. He flipped through some pages and then carried it to Lindsay. "Funny you should use that particular word. This is a medical dictionary. Will you please read for the jury the definition of sadistic."

Lindsay cleared her throat and read it silently quietly before reading it out loud. "a sexual perversion in which gratification is obtained by the infliction of physical or mental pain on others."

"Sounds exactly like what you described going through." He commented, taking the medical dictionary back. He looked back at her. "Mrs. Messer, are you aware that sexual sadism is considered to be a mental disorder? Nothing further for this witness."

Despite her intention not to look anywhere in Atwood's direction, Lindsay found herself looking that way in time to see Atwood's smirk turn strangely victorious.


	46. Chapter 45

Author's Notes: Smaller chapter tonight but I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 45<p>

As soon as the defense attorney sat down, the prosecutor was on his feet. "Redirect, your honor." At the judge's nod, he jumped right into his questions. "Mrs. Messer, can you please remind the jury what your occupation is?"

Lindsay didn't say anything. She had tried so hard not to even glance at Atwood all during her testimony but now that she had, it was if he was once more holding her prisoner and she couldn't tear her gaze away. Why did he look so victorious? Did he really think he had won something over her? Her chest hurt with the effort it was taking her to breath. Once more she could feel his hands roughly groping her body, the terror that at any moment her luck was going to run out and the promises of horrendous pain he had made were going to be carried out.

It was obvious to everyone that she had zoned out. Out of the corner of his eye, the prosecutor could see Danny halfway out of his seat ready to intercede. He looked his way and gave a quick shake of his head urging him back into his seat. Then he took a few steps to his left, standing directly in the path of Lindsay's shell shocked stare with the man who had hurt her. "Mrs. Messer?"

She blinked slowly a couple of times once again aware of where she was. She dragged her eyes back toward Danny. The look in his eyes spoke volumes. It was if they were saying "You are okay. It's almost over. Just keep looking at me. I love you and I'm right here." It was a look that at the same time made her want to collapse in a puddle and let him gather her up in his protective arms but at the same time gave her the strength to continue. She nodded, unsure if she was acknowledging Danny or the prosecutor.

"Mrs. Messer what is your occupation?"

"Crime scene investigator."

"Does your training for that job qualify you to diagnose mental disorders?"

She frowned; why was he asking that question? What did it have to do with her testimony? "No, of course not. I collect and analyze evidence."

"Nothing further, your honor. The witness is excused."

The judge looked at Lindsay. It had been difficult enough sitting there listening to the young woman describe the hell she'd been through, living it must have been a thousand times worse. It was painfully obvious that the mere giving of her testimony had taken its toll on her; the judge wasn't sure if Lindsay would be able to stand and walk back out of the courtroom on her own power even if the building was on fire. She'd noticed the same reaction before lunch after Carla Antsworth had testified. Dismissing for lunch had seemed appropriate to give the young woman less of an audience to watch her difficulty in leaving the stand. Calling for a recess again so soon after the last one might seem unnecessary to the people sitting in the galley but she also knew that if Lindsay stood up and faltered the defense attorney would more than likely jump at the chance to ask for a mistrial claiming she had prejudiced the jury against his client. Regardless of who she irked, she knew her decision was simple.

"I'm going to call a ten minute recess. Bailiff, please escort the jury members out." Once the jury was out and the door closed safely behind them, she looked at the witness stand where Lindsay still seemed unaware of what was going on. "Mrs. Messer, you may step down now."

Atwood could smell her fear from where he was sitting. He would love to have his hands on her just one more time. However, his hands were shackled together with a chain that also ran to shackles around his ankles, though the table had hidden that fact from the jury members. Moving in them was awkward but not impossible. After all, It wouldn't be the first time he'd been forced to move quickly in shackles to avoid injury or to get something important to him. The bailiff wasn't in the room; he was still escorting the jury to the jury room. Still, making any attempt to get to Lindsay would be crazy. He smiled.

Danny wanted to go to the witness stand and help Lindsay up but something told him that she needed to do this herself. He gave her a nod and crooked his finger at her now that he didn't have to worry about the judge censoring him for communicating with Lindsay. Rising on shaky legs, Lindsay left the witness stand. She could do this, she told herself. It was all over and now she and Danny could go home. She willed her legs to be sturdy. She didn't want to give Atwood the pleasure of seeing her falter. Her eyes remained strictly on Danny who had moved to the little gate waiting for her. His eyes were also trained on her every step. Neither one of them noticed anything that was going on around them.

Therefore they were both taken by surprise when Atwood suddenly sprang to his feet and launched himself at Lindsay, tackling her to the ground. She was too startled to scream as the wind was knocked out of her. His face was inches away from hers, a maniacal smile on his face. "What's the matter, Copper? Realizing you should have killed me when you had a chance? I'm going to get off and you'll have to live the rest of your life knowing I'm out there enjoying my life and you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

Danny might have been taken by surprise by the sudden attack but he didn't hesitate for long. As soon as Lindsay hit the ground with Atwood on top of her, Danny was through the gate and pulling the rapist off of her. There was no restraining him this time as he shoved Atwood to the ground. Danny's fist flew back and he didn't think twice about punching him in the jaw. He could hear people shouting but he ignored them as he raised his fist back once more. Strong arms caught him around the waist and pulled him off the man who had tormented his wife. He struggled against the person, ready to go after Atwood again if he made the slightest move to go back toward Lindsay.

Atwood just laid there however, laughing uncontrollably as the bailiff returned to the room and used his taser to incapacitate the rapist. Once Atwood was unconscious, the bailiff hauled him to his feet and bundled him out of the room.

Once he was sure the danger was passed, Mac released Danny who stood there shaking with anger. "Danny, it's over. Lindsay is okay."

Danny turned towards his wife who was rising to her feet with Flack's help. Before she could take two steps in his direction, he was there, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Her body was trembling as she melted against him. She could feel he was shaking just as badly as she was and she looked up at him.

"I'm okay, Danny. He didn't hurt me. He _can't_ hurt me anymore. I'm okay."

He looked in her eyes and could see she was telling the truth. She seemed calmer and more herself after the attack than she had only moments before. It was as if the suddenness of Atwood jumping her had startled her out of the near-stupor she'd been in at the end of her testimony. He pressed her close. He couldn't shake how upsetting this was to him; what might have happened.

"He had his hands on you again, Lindsay. He had his fucking hands on you…" his voice broke.

"And you protected me. You made sure he didn't hurt me." Rising to her tiptoes, Lindsay kissed him gently.

The judge appeared at their sides a look of concern on her face. "Are you both okay?"

Danny pressed Lindsay against his body once more, needed the close reassuring contact of her body against his maybe even more than she did. He nodded. The judge looked relieved.

"I am so sorry, Mrs. Messer. This should never have happened. My courtroom should be a place of safety. Are you sure you are okay? Perhaps we should have medics check you out."

Lindsay shook her head. She could be quite happy if she didn't ever have to see another paramedic again. "I'm fine, really. I would just rather go home."

Nodding the judge looked at Danny. She had recognized that Lindsay must be a strong person jut to have survived what she went through but right then she could see just how strong the woman truly was. She actually seemed to be handling what had just happened better than her husband was although it wouldn't be surprising if she broke down over it later.

"You heard her, Mr. Messer. Take her home." She looked at the people still remaining in the court room. "Obviously our recess is going to take a little long than I had planned. I need to see both counselors in chambers to discuss the situation before we can proceed."

She left the courtroom with the two attorneys right on her heels. Danny looked back down at Lindsay. He could see the utter exhaustion in her eyes and knew the adrenaline was wearing off. She was okay but she would need to crash soon in order to remain okay. It would be better if she was at home when that happened. He kissed her again. "Let's go home."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Danny drove straight home, neither of them talking about anything that had happened in the courtroom that day. Since they hadn't known how long court would take, they had pre-arranged for Lucy to go home with a friend from school and would be brought home around suppertime. During the entire ride, Lindsay was curled up in the passenger seat half dozing, her hand tucked into Danny's right hand.

Once inside the apartment, Lindsay sank into the couch tiredly. Danny went to the kitchen and then joined her holding one of her pain pills and a glass of water. "Don't even try to tell me you aren't hurting. I hurt just thinking about you hitting the ground like that."

Lindsay didn't protest but took it without question, which told Danny just how much she must really be hurting. She hadn't had an actual pain pill in several days. He picked her up so that he could lay down on the couch with her in his lap snuggled up against him. He ran his hand idly through her hair, feeling the last of the anger he felt over what happened in the courtroom ebbing away now that he was at home with the woman he loved in his arms. "You want to talk about what happened?"

Lindsay nodded, pulling his arm he wasn't using to play with her hair tighter across her body. "I do. I think I must have spaced out during my testimony because I don't understand some what happened. I need you to fill in the blanks for me. But not right now. Can we just veg for a little while? Maybe find a game on the TV if there's one on."

Danny reached for the report. "We have at least ten different sports channels, Babe; there's always a game on." He stopped on a baseball game. Half an inning didn't finish before Lindsay was sound asleep in his arms. The emotions of the day had worn him down as well and it wasn't much longer after that that he fell asleep as well.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"The defendant will not be allowed back in the courtroom." The judge was adamant.

The defense counselor became angry. "He has a right to face his accusers. You can't bar him from the proceedings."

"I can and I will." The judge declared icily. "He gave up his right to be in there when he attacked a witness. I have a bailiff setting up a close circuit camera in the courtroom now. He can watch the proceedings from another room. There will be no mention of this attack in front of the jury. I will inform the galley of this before we allow the jury members back into the courtroom."

The prosecutor nodded. He wasn't sure if the jury knowing about the attack would help or hurt the case. Better not to have to find out. "That sounds more than fair, your honor."

"They will want to know why my client is no longer in the courtroom." It was as if the defense attorney had a whole pocketful of protests ready to pull out.

"I will instruct them that he became ill. They don't have to know the illness was caused by the sudden need to render him unconscious:"

It was clear that the defense attorney didn't like the ruling. "Your honor I have a right to present the best possible defense for my client. Since my defense revolves around the plea that my client has a mental defect, I should be able to use this attack in his defense. His actions today clearly speak to his mental status. You can't bind my hands this way."

The judge glared at him. "You seem quite adamant about telling me what I can or can't do. I would watch that if I were you. You get someone in a professional capacity who can corroborate that a mental defect is present and I will consider allowing you to use the attack on Mrs. Messer in your defense Otherwise, I warn you both right here, right now; if either of you so much as thinks about mentioning the events that took place after they were dismissed, I will find you in contempt of court and impose the maximum fine at my discretion. I will also file a formal reprimand with the bar association. Do I make myself clear?"


	47. Chapter 46

Author's Notes: I almost skipped the second part but Lucy demanded the attention. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 46<p>

"He's going with the insanity plea, isn't he?" Lindsay quietly asked her husband. She was still snuggled in his arms on the couch where they had fallen asleep earlier. She'd been awake for about ten minutes but hadn't moved to let Danny notice that she was no longer sleeping. It wasn't as much an attempt to avoid talking to him about the day but not wanting to lose the comfortable silence that had enveloped them as they cuddled. She had spent the time mulling over what had happened in the courtroom earlier. Now every question the defense attorney had asked made sense.

Danny kissed the top of her head and allowed his fingertips to lazily graze up and down on Lindsay's arm. He had known the moment she awoke, recognizing the change in her breathing with a skill that came from years of sleeping beside her. He hadn't said anything; he knew she sometimes just needed the time alone in her head to process difficult moments. Not sensing that she was unduly upset, he was content to give her that time until she was ready to talk.

"I had a feeling you'd figure it out once you had time to decompress." He admitted softly. "Mac told me at lunch what the plea had been but obviously we couldn't tell you about it before you testified. I guess it would have been asking too much to expect him to man up and plead guilty."

Lindsay shrugged. "It's the only plea that gives him even a remote chance of going free. The evidence that he's guilty is airtight. I don't care how good your attorney is, and the man is good, he doesn't have a chance of convincing them there's reasonable doubt."

Danny wasn't sure what to think about the tone of voice she was using. It wasn't emotionless but at the same time it was as if they were discussing some random case at work, not the fate of the man who had hurt her. Was she really that okay with what was going on or was she hiding her true emotions?

"He won't get away with it. No way that jury is going to do anything but convict him. That bastard is no more crazy than I am."

Lindsay shifted so that she could look at him. "You don't think he's crazy?"

Danny frowned. "You do?"

She nodded. "Face it, anybody who could do all that he's done can't be sane. I think what happened to him in jail changed his way of perceiving the world. I think he knows the difference between right and wrong but I think he lost the ability to care. He's operating under a sense of 'hurt the world before the world hurts you' mentality."

Danny was shocked to hear Lindsay talking this way. How had Atwood gotten to her this way? "Babe, are you seriously telling me you think he shouldn't pay for what he did to you and all those other people?" He waited for her answer with bated breath.

"Hell no, that's not what I'm saying." Lindsay exclaimed, sounding almost upset that Danny would think that of her. "I said I didn't think he was sane not that it's a get out of jail free card. Like I said, I think he knew what he was doing was wrong he just didn't care that he was hurting people. He's a cold blooded killer who gets off on hurting people. He's also calculated enough to know what every move he makes is going to do. Why do you think he attacked me in the courtroom today? I'm sure part of him did so out of whatever caused him to fixate on me the way he did. But, he was shackled and there was a room full of people. There was no way he was going to hurt me or escape. Only a crazy person would think they would get away with it or at least that's what he was hoping people would believe. The only way his attack could have been better is if he had done so with the jury still in the room. His defense attorney is going to have a field day using it to support his insanity plea."

"You think the attorney put him up to it?" Danny asked, still unhappy with the way the man had treated Lindsay during her testimony.

She shook her head. "He wants to represent his client to the best of his ability but I doubt he'd risk being disbarred or censured for encouraging such an act. But he will use it if given the opportunity."

"He's an asshole." Danny practically growled.

"He's a lawyer." The couple exchanged a look and both grinned. Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Okay, consider bad lawyer joke of choice inserted here. Seriously, Danny, as hard as it was today, I'm glad he's zealously defending Atwood. At least when he's found guilty he can't appeal on the grounds that he had inadequate defense counsel. I'm also glad that I don't have to take the stand again. I don't think I would have gotten through it without you."

Danny tightened his hold on her, glad to hear that her optimism hadn't wavered. "I'd never have let you try. How's the pain? He tackled you pretty hard."

"Actually getting tackled was probably the easiest part of the day." Lindsay shrugged indifferently.

Danny shifted uncomfortably. Watching Atwood attack Lindsay in the courtroom had upset him considerably. It filled him with rage that once again the monster had managed to threaten his wife and with fear that perhaps this time she would be hurt more than anyone would be able to fix. Even now his heart seized every time he thought about it. How was it that she was okay with it?"

"What happened today doesn't freak you out?" He asked quietly.

Lindsay drew his arm closer around her body, enjoying the safety and comfort they promised. "Don't get me wrong, Danny; the idea that he was able to get close enough to touch me makes my skin crawl. I almost want to go through some sort of hazmat decontamination shower or something to get the feel of him off me. But at the same time, it's like it made me realize a truth I've been refusing to see. Gave me a whole new perspective. It's kind of liberating."

"What perspective is that?" Danny asked, turning her in his arms so that she was lying directly on top of him, facing him. He pressed a kiss against her lips before sliding his hands underneath her sweater to rub her back. For a moment, her eyes closed, enjoying the feel of him touching her, lost in a moment that was just the two of them. Realizing he was distracting her from what she was telling him, he stilled his hands but left them against the bare skin of her back. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Today, he knocked me down and I couldn't prevent it; yeah, it hurt and it scared me but it didn't destroy me. Even though I felt powerless, you and our friends weren't and because of that, he was defeated and I could get back up again and walk away. He couldn't. In the end, he was still a prisoner. I can still feel the pain from hitting the floor but its better than it was when it first happened and it'll continue to get better. It made me realize that I can treat what happened to me in that warehouse the same way. He knocked me down and I couldn't stop what happened. I was hurt and scared but he didn't destroy me. You and every one else have helped me get back up on my feet to get past it. I can be free of him and the hold he had on me but he'll still be a prisoner of what happened to him in that jail cell twenty years ago."

His heart swelled with pride for his wife. He hadn't doubted that she would get to that point but he'd never expected it to come at the heels of such an emotionally draining day. He raised his head up off the cushion and pressed his lips to hers. Even her kiss felt different, more confident, more herself before the attack. He didn't delude himself. This was an excellent step forward but she would probably still have her moments of being affected by what happened. But for now, he wouldn't worry about that and simply relax and enjoy the moment.

Their kisses turned more passionate and Lindsay unbuttoned Danny's shirt so that she could run her hands over his broad, strong chest. A shudder of pleasure ran down Danny's spine and he broke the kiss just long enough to push her sweater up and over her head. The young couple continued to kiss and allow their hands to roan over their partner's body, never letting things go beyond the petting stage but simply content to enjoy the intimate closeness of the other person.

A knock on the door broke them apart. Danny practically whimpered at the interruption as Lindsay pulled back, reaching for her sweater as she announced to the unknown visitor that she'd be right there. Before sliding her sweater back on, she made sure it was turned the right way, not wanting to explain backward or inside out clothing. She smiled at Danny. "Rain check?"

"Definitely," he agreed as he gave her one more kiss. She climbed off the couch after making sure he was buttoning his shirt again. She opened the door to find Lucy, her friend, and friend's mother standing on the other side. She smiled as Lucy launched herself into her mother's arms.

"Mommy, I missed you." Lindsay tightened her hold on her daughter and kissed her. She loved that Lucy was at that stage that even an hour's absence was treated with such exuberance upon her return. She didn't want that phase of her life to ever end.

"I missed you too, Lucy. Did you say thank you to Ms. Stanten for letting you come play with Bailey this afternoon?"

Lucy nodded but thanked her again before climbing out of Lindsay's arm to go greet her father. The other woman smiled at Lindsay. "We enjoyed having Lucy over. She's a little angel. I hope I didn't bring her back too early. I know how trials can be, my lawyer told me when my husband and I divorced that the hearing would only last about an hour but it took the whole day instead."

Lindsay shook her head. "It did take much longer than I would have liked but we actually got home awhile ago. It was pretty draining though so it was nice to be able to take a nap on the couch to recharge."

Ms. Stanton smiled. "Bailey always complains about taking afternoon naps but I tell her that one day she's going to miss them. I don't think she believes me."

Lindsay laughed. "Yeah, Lucy doesn't buy that one either. Danny and I really appreciate you picking Lucy up for us today. Let us know when we can return the favor."

They said their goodbyes and Lindsay closed the door. She came back to the couch and sat down next to Danny and Lucy. "I guess I'd better think about making supper. I didn't realize it had gotten so late."

Danny gave her hand a slight squeeze. "How about we call delivery instead? I could go for an extra large sausage and pepperoni pizza, what about the two of you?"

Lucy bounced up and down on Danny's lap, excitedly. "Pizza, Pizza. Cheesesticks too?"

Danny laughed. "Why not, I'm feeling generous tonight. Babe, want me to throw some wings on that order as well?"

"Absolutely."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

They were halfway through their pizza feast when someone knocked on the door. Danny had gone to answer it and returned a second later with Mac following him. Lucy's face lit up when she saw her beloved godfather standing there.

"Unc'a Mac, you came to sees me!" She reached up for him to pick her up, her hands and her mouth covered with pizza sauce. Mac grinned at her and kissed her forehead, holding her hands away from his dress shirt.

"I'm always glad to see my favorite little girl. You look like you are enjoying that pizza." He told the little girl and released her hands. She picked up a part of the slice she'd been eating and held it out to him.

"Some?" It was obviously a piece she'd bitten all around and Lindsay was practically having to hold her ribs against the laughter she was trying to contain watching to see what Mac did with the offer. Both she and Danny had been almost force fed bites of Lucy's food at different points in Lucy's young life, one of those parent perks she guessed, but she wondered how Mac, someone who loved Lucy almost as much as both she and Danny did but who had never had kids of his own, would face the choice.

Like the good godfather that he was, Mac leaned down so the little girl could put the bite in his mouth. She started to shove it in his mouth but at the last second pulled it away and ate it herself. She giggled as she chewed and swallowed the bite of pizza. "Sike, Unc'a Mac."

The look on Mac's face was a cross between relief that he hadn't been forced to eat the shared bite of food and shock that the two-year-old had tricked him. Danny laughed so hard that he started to choke on his own bite of pizza. He grabbed his soda to wash down the offending bite. "Sorry, Mac. I've never seen her do that before. Have you, Babe?"

Tears of mirth were running down Lindsay's face as she still struggled not to laugh out loud. She shook her head at Danny's question. She was able to contain herself quicker than Danny and she looked at Mac. "Since you were cheated out of Lucy's ABC pizza, would you like a piece of your own? We have plenty."

Mac cocked his head. "ABC pizza?"

"Already been chewed, though its usually associated with gum. I'll get you a plate."

She left the table and returned a few minutes later with a plate and a can of soda for their boss and friend. He sat at the table next to Lucy and helped himself to a slice of pizza. Before he took his first bite, he looked at Lindsay. "You okay? Today was tough."

Lindsay smiled. "I'm fine, Mac. Nothing that a good nap and quality snuggle time couldn't fix."

Mac chewed his pizza thoughtfully before he looked at Danny. "Didn't you once tell Stella that you don't cuddle."

Danny's ears turned red. How many times had his words from his less settled days come back to haunt him now that he had Lindsay in his life. "I don't cuddle. Snuggling is completely different. That's all I'm saying about that."

"How did the rest of the trial go?" Lindsay asked, trying not to appear too eager to know. Despite her words to the contrary, part of her was very afraid that the jury might buy into his insanity plea and find him not guilty. She knew it was too early for the entire trial to be over but wasn't sure how much happened after they left.

"Atwood has been barred from the courtroom. He gets to watch from closed circuit television. The judge declared that the jury could not be told about the attack as it could prejudice them in the case. She told them simply that he was unable to return to court. Not a lie but nothing prejudicial. Flack gave his testimony but mine got put off until tomorrow. Since I have all the forensic evidence from all the robberies and murders to go through, I guess the prosecutor figured it would take too long to finish up in the little time we had left this afternoon. He warned me after court was dismissed that I might be on the stand most of the day tomorrow between his questions and the cross."

Lindsay chewed on her bottom lip. Though she'd been given the basics behind what had lead to her rescue, no one had been very forthcoming about the details. She couldn't explain exactly why it was important for her to know but it was. She'd been glad to walk out of that courtroom that afternoon with the knowledge that she was through and wouldn't have to go back. But how bad could sitting through the rest of the trial be if Atwood wasn't there to torment her with his presence?

"Unc'a Mac!" Lucy demanded, obviously not happy at not being the center of attention. Mac looked over at her and she grinned. "I watch _Wall-e _after supper. You watch with me."

It didn't escape any of their notices that the inflection on the end of her statement indicated that it was a command not a question. Mac agreed to stay and watch so after supper was finished he settled into the overstuffed chair with Lucy in his lap while Danny and Lindsay snuggled up together on the couch. About thirty minutes into the movie however, Lindsay had fallen sound asleep against Danny. He took the opportunity to look at Mac.

"So what do you think, is he going to walk?'

Mac shrugged. "I don't know. I've watched the jury and they looked rightfully horrified hearing the witness accounts today, especially Lindsay's. I'd like to think they are ready to string him up, but you just can't tell."

Lucy reached up and grabbed hold of Mac's lips, lightly pinching them together so he had to stop talking. "Shh, peas. I not hear the movie." Then she pressed a light kiss against his pinched together lips before releasing him to turn back to his movie.

The look Mac gave Danny warned the younger man that it would not be in his best interest to laugh. So laugh Danny refrained from doing, at least on the outside.


	48. Chapter 47

Author's Notes: Short chapter and I'm not to sure how much I like it but hopefully it's okay.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 47<p>

"I'm really starting to wonder what I was thinking when I agreed to this idea of yours." Danny leaned over to whisper in Lindsay's ear. As Mac related the vast amounts of evidence that had been collected in the wake of the first three robberies and subsequent murders, Danny could feel the tension building in her even though there was nothing Mac was saying that she didn't already know. He guessed processing the scenes before the attack was different than hearing about them now with the knowledge that your own death could be apart of that number.

The night before he had probably the best night of sleep that he'd had since Lindsay had come home from the hospital which meant that Lindsay had had a good night of sleep as well. He woke up just moments after she did which was still what he considered too early since Mac hadn't put either one of them on shift because of the trial. They could have slept in but after giving him a good morning kiss, Lindsay had slipped out of bed with the promise of cooking them both a good breakfast. It was over that breakfast that she had announced that she wanted to attend the second day of the trial. He wasn't really surprised, who could blame her for wanting to make sure justice was done to the man who had hurt her so terribly. Had Atwood been slated to appear in court, Danny might have at least tried to protest but figured it would be safe enough with Atwood locked away on a totally different floor.

Now that they were in the courtroom, he could feel the waves of emotion rising off of her like the heat on the road on a hot summer's day. His arm was firmly around her shoulders and he gave them a reassuring squeeze. If hearing about the past crime scenes were affecting her this much, how would she react when the testimony reached the parts that directly affected her? He sighed and leaned into her ear once more. "Just remember that everything he's saying has already happened. None of it can hurt you anymore."

She looked up at him and smiled, grateful for his reassurance and not an automatic push to leave. Yes, sitting here listening to Mac relate the atrocities the earlier victims of the game had experienced knowing how close she came to being just like them was exceedingly difficult but in order to fully get past what happened, she had to learn to face her fears not run from them.

"Detective Taylor, what was different about the fourth robbery?"

"At first it didn't appear that anything was different until a teller reporter that a child appeared to be missing. When the little girl was found, our people realized that one of the hostages was one of our own."

The prosecutor nodded sympathetically. "Detective Lindsay Messer who testified yesterday. That must have been really difficult for you and your team."

Mac could have said the man had no idea how difficult but he didn't. He didn't talk about how hard it was watching Danny fall apart at the thought that he might never see his wife, the mother of his little girl, alive again. He didn't relate how hard it had been for himself to be strong and optimistic in the face of knowing the danger the young woman he had grown to love as the daughter he had never been fortunate enough to have was facing. Perhaps it would help the jury to hear it but he wasn't there to talk about the personal. He was there to speak for the evidence. Anything more or less would take away the very strong voice the evidence had in this case. "It was but it also proved to be what broke the case for us. Up until then all the evidence we had would do us no good until we discovered who was behind the robberies. Our medical examiner found evidence placed on the body of one of the victims that led us to discover that information. Evidence that we believed to have been placed by Detective Messer to help us rescue her."

Knowing this was where the defense attorney had protested during Lindsay's testimony, the prosecutor beat him to the punch. "Did you have concerns for chain of custody?"

"No, Detective Messer hadn't collected it in any official capacity. At the time it arrived to us it was no different from any other evidence collected off a victim. Chain of custody only comes into play once the evidence has been officially collected. Even at that, the DNA she sent us gave us a suspect to investigate. We discovered it was a link to the defendant. A further investigation showed us that Atwood had originally been arrested for a series of bank robberies that corresponded to our current list. We were confident we had the right suspect but it was confirmed when Atwood and four others attempted to rob the next bank on the list." Mac went on to explain how Atwood, Jr.'s suicide had let them to the area where the hostages were being held and Atwood's subsequent escape and the murder of Detective Markson.

Lindsay buried her head on Danny's shoulder. He ran his hand up and down her arm comfortingly but looked down in concern when he felt his shirt began to dampen. He planted a kiss on the top of her head and waited for her to look up at him. His eyes asked the question if she was okay and she nodded. "It's easy for me to get caught up in what was happening to me and forget that it was a stressful time for all of you as well." She admitted softly. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

He smiled down at her and hugged her tightly. "Never."

The prosecutor looked at Mac. "I would imagine your job requires you to do a fair amount of profiling. Would you agree with that assessment?"

Mac considered the question. "I guess some would consider it to be profiling. What we do is let the evidence speak for itself. The evidence gives a pretty accurate account of the crime that takes place."

"What does the evidence tell you about the perpetrators of the crimes you described today?"

Mac knew the prosecutor was looking to discount the defense's claim of insanity. "The murders were especially heinous. The level of cruelty committed against all of the victims speaks to a rage that I've never seen before in all my years on the police force. The victims were tortured for days before finally being gunned down. Animals aren't as cruel as the men who killed these people." The look the prosecutor was giving him was not a happy one but Mac continued on. "The crimes themselves however were well planned out. These weren't spur of the moment robberies or murders. Meticulous care was taken to make sure no identifying evidence was left that would tie the robberies and the murders to the defendant and the others. Had Detective Messer not managed to send us the evidence she did, I'm not sure if we would have been able to discover who was responsible. That takes extreme intelligence and skill."

"Nothing further your honor."

The defense attorney rose. "Detective Taylor, I understand you were the one to question my clinic upon his arrest. Could you describe his behavior during this interview?"

"Calm. Cocky. He was pretty well bragging about his treatment of the hostages, especially Detective Messer. He believed he had the upper hand in the situation despite the fact that he was under arrest. He insinuated that he had us over a barrel because we needed to find the hostages and he was our only chance to find them."

"Why would he be your only chance? You already testified that you had four other men in custody." If he hoped to make Mac uncomfortable with his questions, he obviously didn't know the detective that well.

"Those were his words not mine. I told him we would make a deal with the first person who gave us the information we were looking for. He didn't believe any of the others would talk."

"Would you characterize his behavior as typical for someone facing the kinds of charges he was facing?"

There was no way Mac was going to sit there and make it easy for him to pull out an insanity plea for that miserable bastard. "There is no such thing as typical behavior. Every suspect is different."

"What about the other suspects you had in custody. What were their reactions?"

Mac signed. "They refused to speak at all. We believed they had been instructed not to by Atwood."

"Believed but you have no proof of that. I understand he had a deal for you as well. Will you please tell the court what that deal was."

"He would take us to the hostages if we let him go in exchange." He didn't elaborate beyond this. He could see Danny looking at him from the galley, silently pleading with him not to reveal the rest of the story. Mac understood why. Lindsay had made remarkable inroad in her recovery. How would knowing there was even a chance that she would have been sacrificed the save the others help that?

"That wasn't the only condition he made though was it?" The defense attorney reminded Mac of those old B-westerns the cable stations would run late at night where the bad guy would either twirl their mustaches or rub their hands together in sadist glee while preparing to sacrifice a beautiful young maiden to an oncoming train. Mac wasn't prepared to play the role of the person tied to the tracks and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Lindsay be struck by an oncoming train.

"The deal was never seriously considered so I don't see why it matters. We were able to get the hostages location due to a deathbed note left by one of the other suspects before he committed suicide.

"Speaks to the mindset of my client. What was his other condition, Detective Taylor?"

Mac shot Danny an apologetic look. "To ensure he got away, he wanted to take a hostage with him. He would release the final hostage once he was sure he was safe."

"Not just any hostage thought." The defense attorney was not going to stop until he pried every last inch of the story out of Mac.

"No. The deal was he would take Detective Messer with him until he was safe and then he would release her."

Danny winced as Lindsay's fingernails dug into the arm he had lightly resting in her lap as if he were lightly hugging her. He realized her skin had gotten a little cold and clammy all of a sudden and her breathing had gotten shallow and fast. She was on the verge of a full blown panic attack. He needed to get her out of there but wasn't sure she'd even be able to walk under her own power at this point. If he picked her up and carried her out of the room, the jury would see her distress and the defense attorney would have a field day with it. He cut a look back at Mac hoping his friend and boss was also seeing the reaction.

It was Lindsay who made the next move however. She jumped up all of a sudden and pushed past him, running for the door. Danny stood and quickly followed her catching up with her right outside of the door. He threw his arms around her and pulled her into his tight embrace. Leading her over a nearby set of chairs he sat down pulling her into his lab. "Breathe, Linds. Deep breath in and hold it." He waited until she did as he instruction and then told her to release it. He did it several more times until she was no longer hyperventilating in her distress. Once her breathing had normalized and she had collapsed against him shaking, Danny worked to calm her fears. "It didn't happen, Babe. They got the information without having to put you in further danger."

She looked at him plaintively. "What if Atwood hadn't left the clue? What if his deal was the only way to save the others? I'm a cop, Danny; it's my duty to protect civilians. If it came down to between me and the others; I know Mac might have had to accept the deal. Not because he wanted to but because he had no choice. I get that as a cop but the woman in me can't help but think about what could have - would have - happened to me if Mac had accepted the deal. He would have killed me if he got his hands on me again."

Danny sighed holding her close. He couldn't tell her that there had been actual consideration to taking the deal. She didn't need to hear that. "He promised that he would let you live."

"Would I have wanted to live if he carried out what he wanted to do to me? I'm sorry, Danny. I know it didn't happen and I shouldn't focus on what could have happened but it still scares the hell out of me to think even after he was arrested he was angling for a way to get to me."

"It's okay, Babe. I knew everything Mac said in there but it still hurt just as much hearing it again. You okay now? Do you want to go back in there?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I think I've changed my mind. I thought I needed to hear the whole story but I think the only thing in that court room for me is more pain. I'm not running from my fears here; I'm just admitting there might be something more important than them. The jury is going to do what they do whether I'm there or not. You told me yesterday that Mac approved the time off for us to go on a vacation when this was through. I'm through now. Can we go on that vacation?"

Danny smiled at her. "Wherever you want to go. We can go to Montana and see your parents if you want. I know they've been worried sick about you."

She shook her head. "Mom would just smother me and I don't think I'm ready for that. Can we go to New Orleans? See Stella in her new habitat? I think a couple of days in the Big Easy could be just about perfect right now."

"We'll make the arrangements as soon as we get home."


	49. Chapter 48

Author's Notes: A little fluffy start to their vacation here. Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 48<p>

By 11:30 the next day, the small Messer family was stepping out of the gangway at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Danny had Lucy balanced on one hip and his other arm loosely but securely around Lindsay's waist. Stella had been thrilled when they had called the day before to ask if it would be a good time to visit. She had insisted that they stay with her explaining that she had plenty of room. Making the other arrangements hadn't been difficult either and it was with a light heart and almost giddy excitement that Lindsay had packed their bags. She refused to allow herself to even think about the last time she'd packed for a vacation. She wasn't about to let Shane Casey or John Atwood spoil her mood.

Still the flight had been long and even though Lucy had been excited by the flight, they were all exhausted and glad to have arrived. Stella would be meeting them at the exit. The days of excited friends and family greeting you the moment you disembarked the plane had ended after September 11 so they still had to claim their baggage before they could meet their friend. Danny found a seat right outside of the baggage claim and led Lindsay to it.

"You sit here with Lucy and I'll get our bags." He kissed her forehead before leaving her. As much as Lindsay wanted to be fully okay around crowds, the packed airport was playing havoc with her self control and she was grateful to have a small space away from the crowds for just a moment. Lucy on the other hand seemed enthralled by the crowds; she took after her father in her love of the big city hustle and bustle while Lindsay still had more of that country wide open spaces spirit.

Lucy looked at her mother in confusion. "Mommy, this Orleans?"

Lindsay smiled. "Well, this is just the airport in New Orleans. We'll see Aunt Stella in just a minute, Baby."

"Looks just like York." The little girl sounded a little upset and Lindsay wasn't sure what she had expected to find. Lindsay chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll see some differences soon. If not, I'm sure your daddy can point out all the ways New Orleans is different from New York. Are you excited about seeing Aunt Stella?"

The little girl nodded. When they had first talked to Stella, the woman had been at work and Lucy still at school. However, last night when they had called back to give Stella their flight arrangements, the little girl had insisted on speaking to Stella alone. Lindsay had no idea what promises Stella had made but the two-year-old had been so excited after getting off the phone that she'd been almost impossible to put to bed. "Aunt Stella said we'd ride a subway that goes above ground and we'd eat bennys and do all sorts of fun things. I can't wait."

Lindsay smiled. She knew the subway Lucy was talking about would be the street car but wasn't sure what the bennys were. Stella had sounded just as excited about their visit and Lindsay was sure the woman had spent the whole night planning every minute of their trip. The whirlwind of activities she was sure Stella had planned should have her head spinning with exhaustion already but she was looking forward to the idea of having just the stress of cramming as much fun into a few days to worry about. She wasn't going to think about the trial going on at all though she knew Mac would call if anything major happened.

"I got the bags. You ready?" Danny smiled at her.

"More than." Lindsay rose from her seat and this time she carried Lucy while Danny pulled their bags behind him. They left the baggage claim and finally reached an unsecured area where Stella was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet waiting for them. Nobody gave them odd looks at the exuberant hugs and kisses of greeting. This was an airport and happy reunions weren't that unusual.

"I was scared I was going to run late so I got here thirty minutes ago. I'm parked in short term parking so let me bring the car around to the loading zone. The receptionist at the lab let me borrow her car seat that she has for when her granddaughter visits so this one is all set. Lucy, you want to go with me to get the car?"

Lucy nodded as she leaned out of her mother's arms to go to Stella. "I hungry, Aunt Stella. We eat bennys now?"

Stella laughed. "Not right now, Lucy. Beignets are more for breakfast than lunch but you are going to absolute love them. They are kind of like donuts with lots of powered sugar."

The little girl's eyes lit up. "I love donuts."

A few minutes later, Danny and Lindsay were alone. Releasing his grip on the suitcases, Danny wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "Even though you look a little wiped out from the flight, you look more relaxed than I think I've seen you look in a month. I think this trip is exactly what you needed."

"Me too; I think it's what we both needed. Come on, let's wait for Stella outside. See if that Southern humidity is as bad as Jo warned us it would be."

As soon as they stepped outside it was obvious that the excessive heaviness of the humidity was much worse than what they had expected. The actual temperature was the same as what they'd been experiencing the past several days in New York but it seemed much warmer. Lindsay was glad Stella and Jo both had warned her to pack shorts and sleeveless shirts for them all.

Stella pulled up in a red Jeep Wrangler. The top was off and Lucy grinned back at them from her borrowed car seat, her eyes hidden behind red sunglasses perched on her nose. Sunglasses that were just a smaller version of the pair Stella was wearing. Danny placed the two bags in the back of the Wrangler and climbed in the back with Lucy, leaving the front seat for Lindsay.

"I a movie star, Daddy." Lucy informed her father as he fastened his seatbelt.

He reached over and tweaked her nose, sending the little girl into a fit of giggles. Stella handed a matching pair of shades to Lindsay and a pair of rimmed aviator style to Danny. "It's almost a crime to drive around town in a open air vehicle without a cool pair of shades. Danny, I would have coordinated yours to match the car but I wasn't sure you could pull off the red as well as we girls could. Now I know you've got to be starving. It may only be 11:30 here but your bodies are still on New York time. There's this great little Creole restaurant not far from here that I think you'll love."

Lindsay slipped her new shades on and leaned back in her seat. "We turn ourselves over to your capable hands. Drive on."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"You've got to be kidding me. You are here on vacation and the first thing you want to see is a crime lab? You two really don't quite grasp the concept of a vacation do you?" Stella laughed as they ate their lunch. While she had managed to arrange her schedule so that she was off for most of the time they were in town, she'd been unable to put off a staff meeting that had been scheduled for later that afternoon. She had offered to drop them off at her townhouse before she had to go in but they had both insisted that they wanted to see her lab.

Lindsay frowned. "You know what. We didn't even stop to think we could be putting you on the spot. We really would like to see your lab but not if it'll cause trouble."

"Nonsense." Stella assured them. "When I told my team you were coming to town they begged me to bring you by the lab at some point so they could meet you. I've told them so many 'at the New York Crime Lab…' stories that I think some of them have begun to doubt the veracity of them. I just feel bad about dragging you to work on your vacation. Lucy, do you want to see where Aunt Stella works now?"

The little girl nodded. "Will Unc'a Mac be there? And Unc'a Doc and Unc'a Adam?"

Danny laughed. "No, Princess, they are in New York remember? You'll have to be a very good girl while we are there. This isn't like at home where everyone knows you. You'll get Aunt Stella in trouble if you don't behave. Okay?"

"I good girl Daddy. Pomise."

"So…" Lindsay started with a slight smile on her face as she dipped her shrimp poboy in the sauce it came with. "When do we get to meet Brady?"

Stella blushed slightly. "He's out of town at a legal conference until sometime tomorrow afternoon. When I talked to him last night on the phone and told him the three of you were coming to visit, he was just as excited about meeting you as you are to meet him. He said something about the four of us going to Pat O'Brien's tomorrow night. Betsy, the receptionist that leant me the car seat volunteered to babysit anytime we needed her. She's helped raised about a half dozen grandkids besides her own two children. I'll introduce you to her at the lab."

They were sitting at an outdoor table and Danny looked around with interest at the people who trickled by. There were quite a few people passing by but compared to the hustle and bustle of New York City, it was practically a ghost town. "This one of the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina?"

"Not as much as some of the other parts of the city. The levees breaking wrecked havoc over much of the city especially the lower 9th ward. You know, I can remember watching coverage of the hurricane damage and was horrified by what I saw; it was one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to come down here. But New Orleans was lucky compared some of the coastal towns in Mississippi that were in the direct path of where the eye came ashore. Brady is originally from Waveland, Mississippi. He took me to visit right after we first started dating and then showed me pictures of the town before the hurricane. It was heartbreaking. Almost the entire town was wiped off the map, kind of put a different perspective on the damage here. I have to admit, I'm a little concerned about this year's hurricane season. There may actually be a Hurricane Don this year. I shudder to think what kind of damage it could cause just from the name."

Danny and Lindsay laughed at the thought. Lindsay was pretty sure Danny was filing that information in the back of his mind to use it against their friend when they got back. Don would hear no end to the teasing about his hurricane status upon their return. Lindsay turned the conversation back to Brady as she asked more questions about her friend's new boyfriend. Danny used the girl talk to tune out and just watch how animated Lindsay was with their friend. He leaned back in his seat, a relaxed and contented smile on his face.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay was sitting on the couch in Stella's townhouse lazily watching the almost hypnotic turning of the ceiling fan. She had enjoyed meeting Stella's new friends and seeing where her friend now worked. It was funny, every time she talked to Stella while she was at work, she'd always pictured her in a perfect replica of Mac's office. In reality her office was a lot smaller and a lot less glassy. Still, it seemed to fit Stella and it would was nice to now have a more realistic picture in her mind whenever she talked to her from now on.

Stella sank into the couch beside her. "You tired?"

Lindsay nodded. "It's a good kind of tired though. The kind you got when you were a kid during spring break and you were determined to cram as much fun into the week before you had to go back to school." She reached out and squeezed her friend's hand. "Thank you for letting us come. This is exactly what I needed."

With a smile, Stella returned the squeeze. "I'm glad you came. There have been so many times in the last few weeks that I just wanted to hop back on that plane to come and check on you. I could tell whenever we talked how difficult things still were for you but I look at you now and you seem so much more settled. I'm proud of you Lindsay."

The younger woman blushed. "Danny deserves a lot of the credit. He's been so patient and understanding. I don't think I could have gotten through everything without him."

"Don't underestimate yourself and what you've done, Kiddo." Stella warned. "I'm not discounting what Danny's done because he was every inch of the man I always knew he could be but wasn't sure he'd ever discover about himself. But I don't care how patient or understanding he was, it would have been for nothing if you hadn't been willing to fight to get your life back. You snapping back from this has just as much to do with who you are as to who has helped you."

The sliding door leading out to the back yard slid open and Danny stepped back in. Lucy's laughter could be heard as she ran around the backyard playing with toys that Stella had also borrowed from her friend at work. "The grill is finally hot enough. You got the steaks ready?"

Stella nodded and started to get up but Danny waved her back to her seat and retrieved the meat from the kitchen before returning to the porch. Once the door slid shut again, Stella looked out to where he was carefully putting the steaks on the grill. "I feel bad. You three are my guests and he's out there cooking supper. I'm going to go take over."

Lindsay smiled and shook her head grabbing Stella's arm keeping her to her seat. "Don't you dare. Danny's feelings would be horribly hurt if you did. The only time he gets to grill is when we go to his parents house and he manages to wrestle grill duties away from his dad. Want to talk about fun fights to watch? Danny has made me promise that if we ever decide to buy a house, the first thing we have to buy for it is a grill. I'm all for it because I may never have to cook again."

It was times like this that Stella missed being in New York the most. "Are the two of you seriously considering getting a house? I know how much you both love being in the heart of the city."

Lindsay shrugged. "Maybe one day. Lucy would love having a backyard to play in all the time. Danny really wants us to have another baby and despite some of the not so great parts of pregnancy and labor I would too. However another child would mean we would need more room and a small house would make more sense than trying to find a bigger apartment. Sometimes looking into getting a house makes a lot of sense."

Stella knew her friend well even if she had been away for awhile. "I'm sensing a but in there."

"I don't want every emotional event of my adult life to mean a move. I get my dream job and I have to leave Montana to move to New York. When I got pregnant with Lucy and Danny and I decided to move in together we moved into a bigger apartment. Then Shane Casey breaks into that apartment and threatens my husband and daughter and once again, another move. Even if what happened to me didn't prompt the move to a house, I think I need more time to get past it before I seriously consider another move. Otherwise I'm afraid I'll always connect the house with the kidnapping and rape. Does that sound bad?"

"Not at all." Stella assured her. "Trust me, I know all about those emotional necessary moves. After what happened with Frankie there was no way I could stay in that apartment. It devastated me when I had to find a new place to live when that apartment was destroyed by the fire. When I moved here, the idea of finding a new place to live was terrifying. I didn't want to settle for the first thing that came along because I was in some sort of hurry to find something. I put my stuff in storage and got an extended stay suite for a month where I could look at my leisure. I felt really good when I found this townhouse. I was amazed that I was able to find something this big with a backyard for less than half of what I was paying in New York."

Lindsay's eyes bugged out. "Less than half? If I thought I could ever get Danny to agree to leave New York, I'd ask if you had openings in your lab for both us and we'd move in a heartbeat. This place is great."

With Danny's help with the door, Lucy came running into the living room and threw herself into her mother's lap. Her face was red from the exertion of playing and her little chest was fairly pounding from the humidity she wasn't used to. Stella pushed a couple of tendrils of her sweat laden hair out of the little girls eyes. "You having fun out there, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded and looked up at her mother. "I thirsy, Mommy. It's hot out there."

Laughing Stella got up to fix her something cold to drink. She gave the cup to Lucy who drank half of it in one long swallow. Then the little girl looked at Stella. "Aunt Stella, your yard needs a doggie."

Lindsay laughed. "Better watch it Stel, she'll have you talked into one before we leave if you give her half a chance. A grill is on the top of Danny's list for a house and a d-o-g is on the top of Lucy's."

Lucy drained her cup and then ran back outside to play some more. Stella waited until the door closed behind the little girl before turning her attention back to her friend. "So a grill for Danny and a pet for Lucy. What's on the top of your list?"

"Are you kidding? I have the absolute best husband in the whole wide world and a little girl who makes my heart almost burst with love every single day. Getting to come home to them is the only thing on my list."


	50. Chapter 49

Author's Notes: Another fluffy family fun type chapter but you get to meet Brady. The orangutan story is something that I actually witnessed several years ago when we took a group of students on a tour of the zoo. I hope you enjoy. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated. ** Fixed the problem with the name mix-up. Thanks RandomTVFan30 for pointing it out to me.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 49<p>

Early the next morning, Stella took them to Café Du Monde for beignets just as she had promised Lucy. As they sat at the small outside table waiting for their order, Lucy was enthralled by the little sparrows that came into the dining area to eat discarded bites of pastry. She wanted to get down and play with them but Danny reminded her that they were wild and would fly away if she got too close. Stella promised her that once they were through eating, if Lucy threw down some leftovers, she would be able to entice them to come closer to them.

Pretty soon, four orders of beignets, three coffees, and a chocolate milk had been placed on their table. Stella watched as Lucy, who was sitting on her knees to make her tall enough to reach the table, took her first bite. Her little eyes lit up as if she'd just won the lottery. After the two-year-old finished the first little pastry, she looked at the birds with a touch of sadness in her eyes.

"I sorry little birdies."

Lindsay laughed as she swallowed her own first bite. "What are you sorry for, Sweetheart?"

"I not gonna leave them any to eat. Daddy, why don't we have these in York?"

Stella and Lindsay exchanged an amused look as they waited for Danny to defend his beloved city. For a moment he looked at a loss but then he shrugged. "We may not have this particular place but I'm sure we can find beignets somewhere in New York. In fact, I'm sure I've seen them on menus at different places. Now that we know you like them so much, we'll find them when we get back. Okay?"

Lucy nodded, taking her father's word as a promise. She concentrated on her breakfast, fully enjoying every bite.

"Stella Bonasera. You aren't really playing hooky without me, are you?" A deep male voice with a decidedly southern accent carried over the open air eating space. At the sound of it, Stella's grin broadened and she spun out of her chair.

"Brady. What are you doing here? I didn't think you were getting back until later today." Stella threw her arms around her boyfriend, hugging him in delight. Danny and Lindsay exchanged a look with each other before checking out their friend's boyfriend. He was taller than Stella and had reddish brown hair and twinkling green eyes. He was wearing Khaki shorts and a red polo short sleeve shirt. A pair of shades rested on the top of his head. What stood out the most for the young couple though was the look of pure adoration he had in his eyes as he hugged Stella tightly. "I decided late yesterday afternoon that nothing important would be happening at the conference today so I drove on in last night. Figured I would surprise you. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist bringing your friends here for breakfast."

He released Stella and took a couple of steps toward Danny, holding out his hand to the native New Yorker. "You must be Danny Messer. Brady McWilliams. Pleasure to finally be able to meet you." He held his hand over the table toward Lindsay, who noticed with interest that he didn't take a step toward her leaving enough space that she had to lean in to reach his hand. "Lindsay, Stella has shown me plenty of pictures but I have to say that you are much more beautiful in person."

Lindsay blushed and Danny knew just how much the compliment meant to her. She hadn't mentioned the slight crookedness of her nose any more since the day of her appointment but he knew she was still worried about it. No matter how many times he tried to assure her that she was beautiful, hearing it from a stranger was totally different. Danny would have to thank him later. He also appreciated how the man had made sure not to invade her personal space or crowd her. Either Stella had carefully warned him that strange men still had an affect on Lindsay or he had experience working with rape victims. As an ADA, it could have been either one.

Brady came around the table to kneel beside Lucy's seat. "And this little angel has to be Lucy. You are just as beautiful as your mother. I bet your daddy is not planning on letting you date until you are 21."

"35." Danny corrected, wincing as Lindsay gave him a kick under the table.

"We going to the zoo today." Lucy informed the newcomer. "It's not the York zoo, but Aunt Stella says it'll be fun. You come too?"

Lindsay was surprised. Lucy was by far not a shy child but she also didn't usually take to strangers this well. She must really like him. She started to remind Lucy that Brady probably already had plans but Stella's boyfriend spoke before she could, reaching into his shirt for five small pieces of paper that looked like tickets.

"I'm glad you'd like me to come, Princess Lucy, because I just happen to have five tickets to the zoo right here in my pocket that I was hoping to find someone to help me use." He looked at the others. "My best friend from college is one of the vets at the zoo. When Stella told me yesterday that you were coming, I called him and asked if he could get us an employee discount and he did even better than that. I got home last night and he had dropped off five Audubon experience tickets. This will get us into the zoo, aquarium, insectarium, and the Imax theater. You don't even have to do all the events in one day. You get five days to do everything. But if you'd rather have Stella to yourselves then I'd fully understand and will leave you the passes."

"Are you kiddin' me?" Danny protested. "I'm way out numbered here with all these women. You can't back out now that you got my hopes up of evening out the odds. Besides, it wouldn't be fair taking your passes and leaving you out of the fun."

"Great." He looked over at Stella who smiled at him and gave him a wink of thanks.

After breakfast was over, they all went to Stella's Jeep. Brady took the keys from her and he drove while Danny sat up front with him and the women sat in the back with Lindsay. The three were quite a sight with their matching shades peering back at them as they made the short drive from Jackson Square to the zoo. Once inside Danny put Lucy up on his shoulders so she could see everything they passed. Brady kept his arm around Stella as they started their leisurely stroll.

When they reached the petting zoo, Danny sat Lucy on the ground and followed after her as she ran after the different animals. Brady bought a cup of animal feed and helped the little girl hold some in her hand for the sheep to eat. Lindsay stood off to the side taking pictures as the little girl's face crinkled up in a mixture of disgust and laughter as the sheep licked her whole hand. One goat seemed to be upset that Danny was empty handed and kept nibbling on the hem of his shorts. The perpetual city boy didn't know how to handle the animal so after a couple of quick shots of his face, Lindsay handed Stella the camera and went in to rescue her husband. Danny joined Stella at the fence, watching as Lindsay knelt down beside Lucy to help her pet the different animals who all came over wanting the food. She seemed completely at ease as the animals nudged her begging for food.

Stella and Danny were silent for a moment or two and then Stella looked over and saw Danny surreptitiously wiping at his eyes. She put an arm around him, knowing it wasn't the goat attack that that gotten to him. "Feels good to see her like this, doesn't it. Like all the bad never happened?"

"Part of me wants to video tape her like this and force Atwood to watch it so he knows he didn't break her. But at the same time I don't want him to lay his eyes on her again even in video form. Stupid, huh? Lindsay is putting things behind her; we are on vacation, yet I'm still bringing Atwood along for the ride. Do me a favor; knock me upside the head if you hear me mention his name again."

Stella smiled broadly and gave him a nudge with her body. "Permission to commit bodily violence, excellent. Just so you know, though, it's okay to be happy to see her okay and happy without bringing what's his name into the occasion. Oh no, look." Stella pointed, not able to stop herself from laughing.

Lucy had run out of food but all the animals were still crowding around her nosing for even the slightest hint of food. The little girl decided it wasn't as much fun anymore and had thrown her arms around Lindsay. When Lindsay tried to stand up with Lucy in her arms, a goat butted at her knees sending her sprawling to the ground. The sheep and goats converged on the two. It only took Brady a second to scoop her up in his protective arms but Lindsay continued to lie there for a moment.

"Bad sheepies. No eat my mommy!" Lucy screamed at them as Danny came running. As he grabbed hold of Lindsay's hands to pull her to her feet, he realized that she was laughing almost uncontrollably. She buried her head in Danny's shoulder as she got her laughing back under control. Then she looked at Lucy who was straining in Brady's arms pulling toward her parents. She reached out to take Lucy from Stella's boyfriend.

"Oh, poor baby. Did they scare you?" She looked at Brady who was trying hard not to laugh as well. "Thanks Brady. I think we've probably had enough of the petting area for now."

They left the petting pavilion and continued their way around to the primate section. By the time they reached the orangutan enclosure, Lucy was over her fright and was once more happily riding on Danny's shoulders. Lindsay, who seemed to be having just as much fun as her daughter, pointed out one orangutan who was carrying a box up to the large cargo net that was suspended across several trees. Once he had the box on the netting, he climbed inside, ducking down so that only his eyes were peeking over the edge of the box.

"What do you think, Lucy? I think he's shy." Danny asked his little girl.

When the animal started to climb out of the box, Lucy started to bounce up and down in excitement. "He coming out; he coming out."

To their amusement, the orangutan did climb completely out of the box and went over to another orangutan who was holding a newspaper. He took the paper away and returned to the box and climbed back inside, using the newspaper to cover his head.

Danny laughed. "Look, Babe, it's Adam after Mac has caught him flying paper airplanes in the lab again."

They tore themselves away from the primates and continued their tour which included the reptiles. At the snake house, Lindsay decided to wait outside while Danny took Lucy through. She knew it would probably be crowded and dark, two things she still, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, were uncomfortable with. Brady, professing a deep dislike for snakes even if they were safely locked behind glass offered to stay with her while Stella joined Danny. Once the two were alone, Brady looked over at Lindsay.

"Stella told me you and Danny sort of met at a zoo."

Lindsay smiled. That day at the zoo seemed so long ago. "Yeah, my first day on the job we caught a murder in the tiger exhibit. He was the pull-a-girl's-pigtails-so-she-doesn't-know-you-like-her kind of guy. I think that's why the tigers are my favorite exhibit at any zoo." They stood in companionable silence for a few minutes and then Lindsay looked at him. "I'm glad Stella has someone here who makes her happy. I worried about her moving all the way down here since she didn't know anybody."

Brady blushed. "I'm the lucky one. I had a tendency of getting wrapped up in my work and forgetting to have fun until she started coming around the courthouse. She reminds me how nice it is to be able to cut loose a little. She told me about the guy she had to kill defending herself and the guy that was using her to try to get to your boss. I don't know where our relationship is going to go, although I know what I'd like to see happen, but I would never hurt her like she's been hurt in the past. I promise you that."

Lindsay really wanted to ask him what it was that he hoped happened between him and Stella but figured that it was really none of her business. Besides looking in his eyes and seeing the way they twinkled when he talked about Stella gave her an idea what it might be. "I can tell you are a good guy, Brady. Stella obviously likes you a lot and as you can guess after all she's been through, she's a little hard to impress. Besides, all day, you've taken great care not to crowd me or make me uncomfortable without making it some sort of awkward affair. Thanks for that."

Again, Brady blushed, looking suddenly boyish in his embarrassment. "When I was at law school at LSU my roommate, the guy who gave us the passes, had a girlfriend who was in law school with me. She'd been raped during their first year of undergraduate studies. Even four years later, she was skittish around people she first met. I spent enough time watching her get uncomfortable around people to learn how to make those meetings a little less painful. Comes in handy when I have to try rape cases at work. It's almost gotten to be an unconscious reaction on my part."

Lindsay's heart went out the this girl she'd never met. She guess she'd now have a natural empathy when hearing about rape victims, one she had apparently lacked when had to question Kate Price after her rapist turned up dead. "Is she okay now?"

"There are certain triggers that still send her into panic attacks but she's learned how to avoid them for the most part. She's a children's advocate lawyer and she's married to my buddy now. So, yeah, I think she'd say she's okay."

Danny, Stella, and Lucy emerged from the snake house. Lucy excitedly telling her mother about the snakes she saw. They made their way next to the sea lions and after watching them being fed by their handlers, decided it was time for them to eat as well. Eating at the Zoofari Café gave them a chance to cool off in the air conditioned building. Lucy wanted to ride the carousel after they finished eating so they all bought tickets to ride. Then when the passed the rock wall, Danny challenged Brady to a race to the top. Both Stella and Lindsay were slightly embarrassed at the crowd their men attracted as they climbed. Danny beat Brady but only by one hand hold so he didn't gloat after they came down.

They continued their tour of the zoo, Brady even volunteering to ride Lucy on his shoulders after Danny confessed that his back was starting to bother him a little. By the time they finished with the Louisiana Swamp area, they were all tired and ready to leave but still had to make their way all the way back to the front of the park.

"Babe, your shoulders are looking a little scary there." Danny warned as he walked beside his wife. Lindsay had made sure several times during the day to generously slather sunscreen on Lucy's bare skin but after an initial coating when they first arrived had neglected her own shoulders and face. Stella winced when she looked to see what Danny was talking about. Lindsay's shoulders were already turning pink, an indication that she would have a bad sunburn before too long.

"Ouch, that's going to hurt. Brady, did you take that aloe gel home with you after you got sunburned over Memorial Day weekend or did you leave it at my place?"

"I think I left it in your fridge. When we get back to Stella's, take a cool shower and let Danny coat you down pretty good with the gel. It won't take the pain completely away but it'll help. Maybe we should rethink going to Pat O's tonight."

"No!" Lindsay insisted. "I'm here to have fun and I'm not going to let a little sunburn keep me from enjoying it. We are going to Pat O'Brien's and I'm going to enjoy one of their famous Hurricanes."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"I'm thinking we should have cut them off with one drink each." Brady suggested to Danny as he pulled into Stella's driveway. Danny twisted in his seat to look at the two women in the back of Brady's Prius. Lindsay had completely passed out and Stella wasn't far from it. After eating supper, they had enjoyed the music and dancing. Lindsay had ordered two of the Hurricanes she had mentioned earlier and Stella had three of the Category 5 Margarita's. Danny had ordered a Purple People Eater more for the name than anything else. As the driver of the group, Brady had stayed away from the alcohol with the exception of a couple of sips from Stella's first margarita.

Danny laughed. "I drank more of her drinks than she did. She maybe got a total of half of only one of those Hurricanes. She's usually pretty good at holding her liquor but I had a feeling it would hit her hard since she hasn't had anything with alcohol in a while. I just didn't think it would knock her completely out."

He opened the back door and lifted Lindsay into his arms, while Brady did the same with Stella. The curly-haired Greek mumbled something almost incoherently but Brady chuckled. "Yes Ma'am, I'll come back out and get the souvenir glasses as soon as I get you settled inside. I'll even go ahead and wash them out so that the smell of alcohol won't make you sick in the morning when you are suffering from a hang over.

Inside the townhouse, they temporarily settled the women on the couch while they said goodnight to Betsy, the grandmotherly receptionist who had agreed to watch Lucy while they went out. Brady walked the older woman to her car and retrieved the drink glasses while Danny checked on Lucy was had been sound asleep the whole night, worn out from her day at the zoo. Kissing the little girl, Danny straightened and returned to the living room.

After saying goodnight to Brady who promised to get Stella to bed, Danny carried Lindsay to their room. He gently undressed her and took the time to spread more the sunburn gel on her shoulders and nose before pulling a soft t-shirt over her head. He kissed her forehead and stared at her affectionately for several minutes. She looked so young and carefree just then. Sleep and the alcohol had erased those lines of worry that had seemed permanently etched in her face.

He placed his cell phone on the night stand so that he could get undressed as well and saw the light flashing that he had a voice message. He must have missed hearing the phone ring while they were in Pat O'Brien's. His heart skipped a beat when he listened to the message.

"_Danny, it's Mac. The jury reached a decision. Call me."_


	51. Chapter 50

Author's Notes: A little bit of fluff and a little bit of angst but I hope you enjoy. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 50<p>

"Ouch." Lindsay moaned as she woke the next morning. Danny, who was hovering between a state of wakefulness and sleep, instinctively tightened his arms around his wife nuzzling his lips against her hair.

"Head or shoulders?" Danny asked sleepily, his voice thick with sleep. He figured if she was complaining of pain it would have to come from one of those two places. Headache from the alcohol the night before or her shoulders from the sunburn. His hands slid under her t-shirt and her whole body shivered with desire at his touch. He grinned as he began to gently caress her breast beneath the soft material.

"Not sure yet." Lindsay admitted sounding still as much asleep as Danny did. "However, if you keep that up, I just might be able to forget there's any pain at all."

Danny rose up slightly so that his body hovered over hers. "You like that, huh?"

She nodded as he lowered his mouth on hers. For the next few minutes, they lost themselves in kisses and touches. Danny was careful to avoid her sunburns wanting only to bring her pleasure not pain. In the back of his mind, the fact that he still had to return Mac's call weighed heavily but he tried to keep that worry at bay just a little longer. He didn't want to venture back into that reality a moment before he absolutely had to. He pulled back, looking into her serene face. "How's that pain now?"

"Fading from my mind but not completely forgotten yet. But I guess we should control ourselves. Stella's probably wondering why we aren't up yet."

Danny chuckled. "The only thing Stella's probably wondering right now is why a mariachi band is performing in her head. Face it, Babe, I'd say a good time was had by all last night but I don't think either you or Stella probably remember much of it. I think you both got a little wasted."

Lindsay shook her head, running her hands over Danny's bare back. "Was not. I remember everything about last night. I didn't drink enough to get wasted. Someone kept helping himself to my Hurricanes. I won't name names but it was this really hot guy who kept dancing with me. I was kind of hoping to get lucky with him so I didn't protest."

Danny raised up again from where he had resumed nuzzling her neck. He raised his eyebrow in amused doubt. "Really, you remember everything, huh? How did you get to bed then?"

Lindsay raised her head so that her mouth once more reclaimed his. Their tongues met in a silent duel of passion for a couple more minutes. Then she pulled back, breathing hard, and admitted, "Okay, I remember everything up to the point that the rum relaxed me enough and made me fall asleep. But as incredible as you are making me feel right now, I'm putting my money on being put to bed by the hot guy who kept stealing my drink."

"Hot guy, huh? I'll show you hot guy, Mrs. Messer." Danny whispered as he pressed his body against hers. She giggled as he began kissing her again, his stubble of a beard tickling her skin. When they continued to hear giggling even while they were in the middle of a passionate kiss, Danny broke away, looking around to make sure Lucy hadn't come into the bedroom and caught them making out. Being caught by their two year old embarrassed him more than he thought it would to be caught by Lindsay's father. The bedroom however was empty. The giggling was coming from the living room. "Damn. I guess I better go check on her before she wakes Stella up."

Lindsay planted her hands on his chest and gave him a push backward until he was lying on his back and she was hovering over him. "I'll take care of Lucy, you get your shower first. Since my rather effective painkiller got interrupted, I'll have to settle for something less satisfying, like coffee and a couple of aspirin."

She gave him another kiss before sliding out of bed. She slipped on her robe that was lying on the end of the bed and tied it around her waist before leaving the bedroom. She heard Lucy jabbering away in the kitchen and wondered if Danny had misjudged Stella's inebriation as well. She followed the sound and was surprised to see Brady standing at the stove flipping pancakes on the griddle. Lucy was sitting on one of the counter stools watching him work, talking away. Lindsay observed them without interruption for a few minutes.

"If you and Aunt Stella got married, you could get a doggie." Lucy was in the process of explaining. Lindsay's eyes widened. The little girl had been working every angle since they arrived to convince Stella to get a dog and Lindsay was surprised by the latest maneuver.

Brady carefully flipped the pancakes already on the griddle before looking at the little girl. His expression was completely serious as if he were having a conversation with an adult. "Well, I already have a dog. He's a two-year-old German Shepherd named Roscoe. He actually loves coming over to visit. Maybe before you leave, I can bring him over. I bet he'd really like you as well. You want me to marry Stella?"

He used a spatula to transfer the cooked pancakes to plate already stacked high with his previous attempts. Then he let Lucy help pour the batter onto the griddle to fix a couple of more. It was actually closer to the stove than either Lindsay or Danny usually allowed but she could tell that he was keeping a watchful eye on the little girl. Lindsay knew it was wrong to eavesdrop but she couldn't help but stay quiet to listen to what was being said.

"That's what people who love each other do." Lucy was explaining to Brady. "I saw you kissing Aunt Stella like Daddy kisses Mommy and they're married. So I think you should marry her. I could be the flower girl and Mommy could be her honor maid and Unc'a Mac could give her away…"

Lindsay couldn't stop the laugh the came out, revealing her presence in the room. "Watch it Brady; she'll have the entire ceremony planned." She came into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of the coffee Brady had already made. She took a sip and studied her friend's boyfriend who appeared slightly embarrassed to have been caught in a conversation about marriage. She wondered if this was what he had alluded to yesterday at the zoo. It was obvious he loved Stella very much and it wouldn't surprise Lindsay if Stella's fears of her past experiences with boyfriends were the big hold-up. "Danny said that Stella probably wouldn't be feeling well this morning."

Brady laughed, seemingly glad Lindsay wasn't going to pursue the conversation. "Yeah, she woke up a couple of hours ago and paid homage to the porcelain throne. I managed to get her to take a couple of aspirin before she passed out again. How are you feeling?"

"Better than Stella obviously. But I wouldn't mind a couple of those aspirin if you still have some."

Brady laughed and handed her the bottle. "Lucy is a really good kitchen helper. I'm horrible in the kitchen but pancakes are the one thing I can do a pretty good job on, especially when I have a mix. Is Danny up yet?"

Lindsay nodded, swallowing the aspirin with a swallow of coffee. "He's in the shower."

"I hungry, Mommy. We wait on Daddy and Aunt Stella?"

Lindsay ruffled her hair. "No sweetheart, we don't have to wait. You and Brady were the early birds so you should get the worms."

Lucy wrinkled her nose. "I not like worms, Mommy. I want pancakes."

Brady laughed. "I don't like worms either, Lucy. Your mommy can eat worms if she wants to but you and I will eat these pancakes."

Lindsay filled Lucy's cup with milk and then moved the little girl's chair from the stove to the counter. The three had just sat down to eat when Danny joined them. He fixed his own plate and sat down beside Lindsay. Despite his earlier playfulness, there now seemed to be a tenseness about him. It was apparent even to Brady who finally looked at Danny. "You know, I figure it'll be another couple of hours before Stella is even remotely ready to visit the aquarium and other things we had planned. What do you say, Danny, would you like to spend an hour with me at the gym. You may have beat me at the zoo's rock wall yesterday but I think I could possibly take you on the basketball court."

The idea of running off some of the nervous energy that was building up in Danny. Mac had called again while he was in the shower. When Danny had seen the missed call, all the worry he'd managed to suppress from earlier had surfaced full fold. Rather than return the call, he had turned the phone off completely and put the phone in the nightstand drawer. Then just in case Mac tried to reach Lindsay's phone, he had done the same to hers. He nodded. "Sounds great. Do you mind, Babe?"

She reached over and gave his knee a squeeze. She wasn't sure what was bothering him but thought maybe that the physical exercise would help. "Go ahead. Lucy and I will hang around here. I'll set the sprinkler up in the backyard and let her run around in it for awhile."

After the two men left, Lindsay took a leisurely shower and then dressed. She slathered sunscreen on herself as well as Lucy before helping Lucy into her bathing suit. They went out in the backyard and Lindsay turned the sprinkler on and settled into a chair on the porch while the little girl ran around squealing with delight. About thirty minutes later, Stella joined her carrying a steaming cup of coffee with her.

"How are you feeling?" Lindsay probed gently.

"You would think I would remember from one time to the next to never go for the third margarita. It's always the third one that gets me. Where are the guys?"

"Brady took Danny to the gym. Speaking of Brady, I should warn you that Lucy has big plans for the two of you. I caught her telling him that he should marry you."

Stella blushed but then gave Lindsay a curious look. "How did Brady react?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he starts looking at rings pretty soon. I think the man has it bad for you Ms. Bonasera. I like him. I think the two of you make a great couple. More importantly, what do you think?"

"I think he makes me happier than I've ever felt before. The whole idea of commitment scares the hell out of me but it's the kind of scary that I might be willing to face if it means facing it with Brady. Is it moving too fast? I mean we've only been dating a couple of months. Look how long it took you and Danny to get married."

Lindsay gave Stella's hand a squeeze. "Marrying a guy on the first date is moving too fast. Don't use me and Danny as your guide. We didn't have your typical courtship. My advice would be to just take things as they come. Trust your feelings."

Stella smiled her thanks. They sat there in silence watching Lucy play. After another thirty minutes Lindsay took Lucy in to get her changed. She knew the boys would be back soon and they would be going first to the insectarium and then to the aquarium.

When Danny first came in, he seemed a little more settled than when he left but Lindsay could still see that something was bothering him. Both men stated that they needed to get a shower before they went out in public. Lindsay hid a smile at the idea that Brady seemed to have multiple changes of clothes stashed at Stella's. Brady finished getting ready first. He sat down next to Lindsay on the couch and looked at her in concern.

"This is none of my business but is Danny okay? He didn't say anything while we were playing but he certainly ran that court like a man possessed."

Lindsay shrugged. "I don't know, but I think it's time I checked to see." She excused herself from Brady and returned to the bedroom. Danny was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at his cell phone. She sat beside him and took the phone from him.

"Danny, what's wrong?"

"I can't do it, Linds. I know I should. I know I need to but I just can't. I've been sitting here for the last fifteen minutes trying to screw up the nerve to call him but I stop myself every time."

"Call who? Danny, you're scaring me."

He looked at her, his eyes full of fear and misery. "Mac called some time yesterday but I guess I didn't hear it ring. I didn't get the message until we got home from the bar last night. It was too late to call him back then but when he called me this morning I didn't have that excuse. I just ignored his call." He took a deep breath. "The jury came back with a verdict. He didn't say in the message what the verdict was."

Lindsay glanced down at the phone in her hand. Strange how a simple voice message could carry that much power. She didn't know what to think. The prosecutor had said he believed the trial itself would take a full week and the jury could possibly take a day or so to deliberate. Was it a good sign or bad sign that opening remarks to jury's decision had only taken four days? "Want me to call him?"

Danny shook his head, taking the phone back. "I want to take the battery out of the phone and pack it in one of our bags until we go home. Babe, we are having a good time here. This is our vacation; our chance to make up from last year's ruined trip and from all the stuff that's been going on. Calling him and hearing what the verdict was won't change it. Is it so bad to want to wait?"

The pancakes she had enjoyed earlier were now sitting heavily on her stomach. There was a 50-50 chance of a guilty verdict but that meant a 50-50 chance they found him not guilty. One verdict would give them cause to celebrate during the rest of their vacation. The other verdict would make having fun almost impossible.

She sighed. "It's not bad to want to wait. We deserve this break. But do you really think we are going to be able to relax and have fun if we are worried about what the verdict is? It's obvious it's really getting to you. I think one of us has to call him."

"And if it's bad news? If somehow that defense attorney convinced those twelve men and women not to send him to jail?" Danny asked, his eyes never leaving her face.

She forced a smile. "Then we use the time we have left here to look at townhouses and see if we can't get one just as magnificent as this one and we convince Stella to hire us on at her lab." When her answer didn't so much as get a rise out of him, she gave his arm a squeeze. "Danny, what ever it is, we'll get through it. If they think he's insane, he'll at least go to a mental hospital. We'll have time to figure things out. It'll be okay. We'll make it be okay, together."

Danny nodded, looking for all the world like a boy who was being sent to the principal's office. "Okay, I'll do it." He opened the phone and started to dial but once again froze. Lindsay took the phone away from him and dialed the number handing it back to him as it started to ring. "Mac, Danny. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you." He listened for a few minutes without answering. Lindsay couldn't tell by his expression if the news was good or bad. Then Danny frowned. "When?….Okay, I'll tell her. Thanks Mac." He hung up the phone. His body was shaking and Lindsay was afraid of the news. Her heart fell.

Despite her brave words just now, could she really handle it if they had found him not guilty? Danny set the phone aside. "You got to testify again."

Lindsay frowned. "Why? I thought the verdict was in?"

"Yeah, but the prosecutor wants you to testify at the sentencing phase. They found him guilty."

It took a moment for the news to sink in, then a slow smile spread over her face. He was guilty and he would never be able to hurt her again. She crushed her body against Danny's in a tight hug. He pulled them to a lying position on the bed and kissed her in relief.

"When will they sentence him?" Lindsay asked, hoping it didn't mean they would have to cut their vacation short.

"A couple of weeks. Mac said the prosecutor wanted to do it right away but he told him we were out of town and wouldn't be reachable until we got back. We get to finish our vacation without this hanging over us."

Lindsay smiled and pulled them both back up to a sitting position. "So let's go enjoy our vacation. I think we have an insectarium to visit."

Danny kissed her again. "Okay, but no eating the exhibits."


	52. Chapter 51

Author's Notes: The trouble with working on two stories consecutively, with a third one pounding around clamoring for attention as well, is that every so often one story dominates over the other and demands that it is worked on more than the other. Right now, this story is doing that for me. I could easily wrap this one up since the trial has ended but it won't let me just yet at least not until the sentencing phase has finished and Lindsay is back to work full time. So I hope you'll stick around with me a few more chapters at least. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 51<p>

When Lindsay and Danny rejoined Brady and Stella in the living room, the change in Danny's mood was clearly evident. His arms were wrapped around Lindsay's waist and the tension that had been so prominent just thirty minutes before was completely gone. Brady gave Stella a questioning look and Stella could only shrug.

Lindsay knew they were worried about Danny's earlier behavior and decided it was okay to explain and then leave the subject fully packed away until they returned to New York. "Mac called. The jury reached a verdict in the Atwood case."

Reaching out, Stella squeezed Brady's hand, anticipating the worst. Then Lindsay smiled. "He was found guilty. It's over, well except for the sentencing phase but we have a little time before we have to worry about that."

With a squeal, Stella pushed off the sofa and wrapped both Lindsay and Danny in a hug. "Oh, Kiddo, that's great."

Brady for a moment looked pensive but he quickly hid it as he added his own congratulations. Lucy didn't seem to understand why everyone was so happy but she joined in as well, throwing her arms around her father's legs as well. Danny released his hold on Lindsay to scoop the little girl up in his arms. "Okay, no more talk about Atwood. He's a forbidden subject for the rest of the vacation. We have today and tomorrow to cram all the fun we can before we leave Sunday morning. So, I think we have some more places to visit today, right?"

Without anymore putting it off, they loaded into Stella's Wrangler and drove to the US Custom House that was home to the insectarium. Brady warned them on the way that since it was a federal building they would have to go through the normal federal safety checks. Once inside, Lucy was mesmerized by the different sections, especially the Butterflies in Flight section. When they reached the other end of the building that housed the two different eating places, Stella gleefully pointed out the one she thought would interest Danny and Lindsay the most.

"You two have to try out Bug Appetit. It's right up your culinary palette." She read the description from the pamphlet she'd picked up on the way inside. "It's an adventure in eating! Insects are an important source of protein in many cultures and a culinary delight if cooked correctly. Grab a seat and watch our amazing chefs incorporate bugs into their dishes—and sample some of their exotic creations."

Lindsay and Danny knew their friend was mostly poking fun at them but the look they exchanged with each other spoke volumes. That day at the lab when they had sampled the exotic cuisine Danny had brought back from his crime scene had been so early in their relationship, back to a time when it couldn't even really qualify has having a relationship. Back when the attraction had been obvious to everyone but the two of them who were trying so hard to ignore the chemistry that was between them. As crazy as it seemed, after all they had been through, it would be nice to reconnect, just for a moment, to that innocent time once again. Danny took Lindsay's hand. "We'll be right back. You want to join us?"

Stella laughed but shook her head. "I didn't want to then and I'm not going to now. Lucy and I are going to get a cookie in the real food café. Brady, you coming with the two of us or are you going to be adventurous with those two kooks?"

Brady smiled at Stella. "I'll follow you anywhere, Bonasera."

In the Tiny Termintes Café, Stella bough three cookies. She and Brady settled at a table that was designed to have insects crawling inside it while Lucy took her cookie over to check out the working bee hive. Stella took a bite of her cookie, trying not to think about the bugs crawling nearby. "Brady what's wrong? You might not be as tense as Danny was earlier but I can see something is bothering you."

Her boyfriend sighed. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Danny and Lindsay. They are so happy about the verdict that I don't want to spoil it for them."

Stella frowned. "You know something about the case that they don't?"

He shook his head. "No, not really. Just a feeling really. I don't think they realize how tough the sentencing phase is going to be. During the regular trial, his lawyer was fighting for his freedom. From what you've told me about the charges, now he's going to be fighting for his client's life. He's going to pull out all the stops to keep the jury from deciding on the death penalty. If that means putting Lindsay through the wringer on the stand or playing up the insanity defense even more to make the jury reluctant to put Atwood to death, then he'll do it. I've been the prosecutor on similar sentencing phases and in some cases it's even more emotionally draining than the actual trial. The judge won't be able to keep him out of the courtroom either. She'll be able to have him restrained in more obvious ways but he'll be able to face the twelve men and women who are deciding his fate. That means he'll be there when Lindsay testifies. I just hate to think about her going through that. I know I just met your friends yesterday but I already feel like they are my friends as well."

Stella leaned over and kissed him. "I love that you are concerned about them. You're right, it's going to be hell on the both of them. That's why we are going to make sure that the next few days give them enough happiness to store up for the bad times."

The two turned their full attention to Lucy at the bee hive until Lindsay and Danny returned looking completely happy. Stella smiled. "Did you two really…, you know what, never mind I don't want to know. Are we ready to head to the aquarium? Somehow I think looking at the sharks will be much nicer than all these bugs."

The group left the insectarium to head to the next stop on their Audubon experience. They stopped at Burger King on the way to grab a real lunch that didn't seem to include bugs either in the food or around the food. Lucy was so excited about their next stop she didn't even put up a fuss to play in the play area while they ate.

At the aquarium, they took their time looking at the different animals. Brady was able to point out all the changes they had been forced to make after Hurricane Katrina, make sure he used terms that wouldn't clue Lucy into the fact that many of the animals hadn't survived. Lucy's favorite spot was the area was the Stingray Touchpool. When they returned to the first floor Danny tried to hurry them past the shark tank but Lucy pressed her face against the glass amazed by the sheer size of the creatures swimming all around. Seeing the sharks only served to remind Danny what a total jerk he'd been to Lindsay in the aftermath of Rueben Sandoval's death. The pain he'd seen in her eyes after they had joked about quotes from the movie Jaws was eclipsed only by the pain he'd witnessed after her attack. The logical part of him knew that she had forgiven him for all of that, had in a sense understood that he'd been pushing her away not to hurt her but to punish himself for the part he'd played in the little boy's death. But still, hurt her he had and even if he did everything right for the rest of his life, he couldn't take that away from her.

As if sensing his discomfort, Lindsay gave his arms that were wrapped around her waist a reassuring squeeze. Her thoughts had also drifted back to that brief painful period in their lives. She'd been so hurt when he had pulled away that to protect her own fragile heart, she had distanced herself from him, limiting their contact to work matters only. Ironically, it was only once she had done so that Danny actually realized what he had to lose and fought with everything in him to win her back.

After they had seen everything that the aquarium had to offer, they walked next door to the Imax theater. They got their tickets and had a few minutes to spare before their show began. Lucy tugged on Lindsay's shorts asking to go to the bathroom and Danny decided to get them some popcorn for the movie, leaving Brady and Stella alone. He grinned at Stella wrapping his arms around her. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier about making sure those two store up the happy memories while they are here."

Stella smiled at him. "Why, Counselor, it sounds like you have something up your sleeve. Spill."

"How about the two of us offer to babysit Lucy tonight so they can have a romantic night out in the Big Easy? I can call and get them reservations at Olivier's for tonight. They can have a quiet, romantic dinner and then maybe go to a jazz club or if they want to continue the quiet of the night, they would be close enough to take a street car ride."

Stella kissed him. "Perfect. I never realized you were such a romantic, Brady."

He grinned down at her, pulling her close. "If you think this is romantic, just wait until your friends return home and I'll show you just how romantic I can really be."

"I'll hold you to that." Stella promised.

The Messer returned and it was time for them to go into their movie. Lucy settled in her father's lap playing with the 3D glasses they needed to wear in order to fully appreciate the movie and munching on popcorn. As the lights went out and the movie started, Lucy reacted with amazement every time an image on the screen seemed to jump out but about twenty minutes into the forty-five minute show, she became almost unnaturally still and completely ignored the box of popcorn in Danny's hand. Danny looked down and grinned. She was sound asleep, the glasses still perched on her nose. When the movie was over, Lindsay slipped the glasses off and took the empty popcorn container so that Danny could maneuver the little girl onto his shoulder. She didn't wake up until Danny transferred her to the car seat. She looked around blinking.

"Where's the movie?"

Danny chuckled. "Someone had a good nap during it. We're about to go back to Aunt Stella's now."

Her lower lip poked out. "But I wants the movie. Peas?"

"Lucy, would you like to meet Roscoe?" Brady interjected. The little girl recognized the name of Brady's dog from their conversation that morning and nodded, her pout stopped before it could really get started. Instead of driving straight back to Stella's, Brady detoured to his apartment and came back out with a fairly large brown and black German Shepherd. Lucy could barely control herself in the short ride back to Stella's townhouse. Once there she and Roscoe went straight to the backyard to play. Her squeals of happiness could be heard even through the sliding screen door.

Danny shook his head. "I almost feel sorry for Roscoe. He may come in begging for mercy soon. There's no way she's going to leave him alone for the rest of the evening. I think we are going to have eat in tonight cause it's going to be heart wrenching if we try to separate her from her new friend."

Stella shook her head. "Brady and I are keeping Lucy tonight. The two of you have dinner reservations for 7:30 and we don't expect you to arrive back home early enough that we are still awake. Brady's going to let you borrow his car and he'll have the directions programmed into his GPS system. Now, dress at the restaurant is casual but why waste an opportunity to dress up a little."

"Are you two sure?" Lindsay wanted to make sure even though she was excited at the idea of having an romantic evening with Danny.

Brady laughed. "Like you said, she's going to be playing with Roscoe all evening. It'll be good for him. He craves the attention since I stay so busy in court most of the time. If it makes you feel better, when Stella and I come visit you in New York, you can return the favor and watch Lucy while Stella and I paint the town red."

The married couple grinned at each other before Danny planted a kiss on Lindsay's lips. "You get your shower first, babe." He waited until she was out of the room before turning to his friends. "Thanks. This means a lot to both of us."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

At the restaurant, they were promptly shown to the table. Danny glanced over at Lindsay. He remembered that day in the apartment when she'd commented that she wasn't a raving beauty and wondered just what she saw when she looked in the mirror. Did she have any idea how much she took his breath away without even trying? Her short bob of a haircut had been carefully styled in soft waves that framed her face. Her make-up was muted but delicately enhanced her already gorgeous features and the light from the candles on the table danced in her chocolate eyes. Her burgundy dress didn't show any cleavage but hugged her body in all the right places. It ended just above her knees and Stella had convinced her that with the humidity in the South, pantyhose would not be necessary. Her whole look was still casual with an understated hint of elegance that made him feel almost slouchy in comparison in his dress pants and short sleeve button down shirt.

"Danny, what are you looking at?" Her voice breaking him out of his thoughts.

"The most beautiful woman in the whole world." He answered without hesitation. She blushed slightly, the crimson color just further enhancing her beauty.

"I think it might be time get your eyes checked again. Or did you forget to put your contacts in today?" Seeing that he was about to chide her for putting herself down, she reached over and squeezed his hand. "Thank you. Have you even looked at your menu to see what you want?"

"I'm thinking I might try that Creole Rabbit. I can't say I've ever had it. But I guess growing up in the country you had it all the time. Is it good?"

Lindsay nodded. "I've never tried a Creole version but yeah it's pretty good. I think you'll like it. I'm going for the crawfish etouffee. Do you realize how long it has been since we've eaten at a restaurant without a kid's menu? It seems like even when we do get date nights, we usually find ourselves at some kid friendly place. I'm glad Stella and Brady set this up. If we had picked a place, it probably would have been someplace the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company."

"Hey that would have been a fun place to eat." Danny protested.

A waiter returned and took their order before disappearing back into the kitchen. Conversation stayed light between them, neither one of them wanting to break the romantic atmosphere by discussing anything too heavy. When their dinners were delivered to the table, they took their time, enjoying every single bite and sampling each other's dishes. Even though there were plenty of people in the restaurant for a Friday night, Lindsay and Danny weren't even aware of anybody else's presence. Almost as if he'd been watching, as soon as they finished their last bite, their waiter was there to announce the dessert selection. They declined, both too full to think of eating anything else. Besides, the night was still fairly young. They could stop for something sweet later if they so chose.

Danny paid the bill and then they walked back out to Brady's Prius. Before opening Lindsay's door, Danny wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the way she fit so perfectly in his embrace and kissed her tenderly. With just the barest touch of his fingertips, he traced her jaw line, staring into her eyes. "So, I think it's safe to say its much too early to go home. I think Stella and Brady would lock us out of the house if we tried. What would you like to do, Mrs. Messer?"

She blushed again as she slowly chewed on her bottom lip, her eyelashes hiding her eyes as she looked down. Danny recognized the look; it was one she got when there was something she wanted but was too embarrassed to say. Trapping her between the car and his body, he cradled her face in both hands and made her look at him.

"Come on, Babe. What is it? You can tell me."

"I know it's a touristy thing to do.."

"Linds, we are tourists," He reminded her.

She smiled but didn't respond to his comment. "I know Brady recommended some nice jazz clubs but we kind of did the dancing route last night, and yes, I _do_ remember dancing with you. You think maybe we could go to Jackson Square and maybe take one of those carriage rides that were set up outside Café Du Monde? I know they are way too expensive and it probably sounds hokey, but…"

He kissed her into silence and then stared into her eyes. "I think it sounds romantic. Brady getting us those Audubon experiences passes for free saved us quite a bit of money. I doubt the ride would cost any more than what one of those tickets would have cost if we'd had to pay for them. Let's go." He shifted her to the left enough so that he could open her door. Once she was in and he was sure her legs were clear, he closed the door behind her and ran around to his side. He found the directions he needed in the car's GPS system and saw that it wasn't that far. He reached out and took her hand in his and held it as they drove the short distance to Jackson Square. He couldn't help but think about their first date and had a feeling she was thinking about it as well. Or at least the first date that could actually count as a real date.

It was right after she returned from Montana and he had so wanted to impress her. He'd taken her to this little hole in the wall restaurant that wasn't on the usual tourist scene but had the most delicious food he'd probably ever had. Then after dinner was over, they had walked over to Central Park where he had paid for them to take a carriage ride around the park. It had been the first part of March and the night was still quite chilly. He'd taken off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Even with his jacket around her she was still cold and snuggled into his embrace even more. It had only been a thirty minute ride but had been well worth the money he'd spent.

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles before pulling into a space in a public parking area. They got out, locked the car, and walked hand in hand down the street toward where they had noticed the carriages the day before. As they got closer, they saw a man in a black sweatshirt and jeans shove one of the tour guides and then take off running in the opposite direction from where Danny and Lindsay were walking.

"Hey! Somebody stop that man. He done stole my money."

Without hesitation, the cop in him took over. Danny released Lindsay's hand and took off running after the suspect. Lindsay went to the driver to check on him. When she saw he wasn't hurt, she told him to call 911 and then took off after Danny, managing to look more graceful running in her low heeled sandals than most people did just walking in them. The other pedestrians just stood there looking at the drama and pulling out their cell phones to snap pictures instead of calling the police. Lindsay couldn't help but think people weren't that much different here than they were in New York. The suspect hadn't gotten but about 400 yards before Danny tackled him. He pulled the suspect's arms behind him, wishing he'd brought his gun and some cuff ties with him on vacation. Lindsay joined him and picked up the stolen money box that flew out of the man's arms but had fortunately stayed closed. She handled it carefully trying not to mess up any possible prints.

She smiled at him. "Just can't stay away from the job, can you?"

He laughed. "Like you didn't wish you had a pair of latex gloves to put on before picking up that box. Come on, let's get this joker back."

The suspect tried to pull away but Danny gave his arm an extra twist and he quickly stopped. As they came back in sight of the carriages they saw two uniformed officers talking to the carriage driver. When the driver saw them coming, he pointed them out to the officers. "Dat's him officer. Dat's the guy who robbed me and the folks that chased after him."

One of the officers took the man from Danny and handcuffed him. Danny fished out his wallet and showed his police credentials to the officer. Lindsay handed the money box back to the driver who smiled broadly.

"Thank ya, Miss. I can't believe the two of you went after him like that. I could have lost my job if I lost that money."

"Ya'll work for the New York Crime lab?" The second officer asked. "The new boss of our Crime lab came from New York. Maybe you know her?"

Danny grinned. "That's who we're staying with while we are in town."

"We like her. I hear she runs a tight ship but our unsolved case rate sure went down after she came." The officer explained. He took statements from not only Lindsay and Danny but also Ed, the carriage driver. After they left with the would-be robber in custody, Ed shook their hands thanking them again.

"I can't thank ya enough. I's glad you two happened to be walking by when you did. When I yelled, I didn't really think anyone would help me but you took off without a second thought. Please let me and Thibodeaux here return da favor and give you da grandest tour of da city ya'll ever have."

Danny put his arm around Lindsay and pulled her close. "We were actually coming to take a carriage ride when we heard you call out." He started to reach for his wallet. "How much?"

"For you and da beautiful lady, not a ting." He helped Lindsay into his carriage and Danny climbed in behind her. Pretty soon they had set off around the city. He didn't lie to them; it was the grandest tour they could have ever asked for. For an hour, he drove around the city telling them every piece of trivia he knew about the different buildings and statues and his knowledge was great. Lindsay snuggled closer into Danny's embrace and he knew this time it had nothing to do with being cold. He grinned down at her and then lowered his head to kiss her. Ed glanced back at his passengers in time to see the kiss and grinned before turning around and starting to whistle. He quit pointing out landmarks and simple drove around, letting the young couple enjoy the city lost in their own little world.

Once he finally pulled back into his spot at Jackson Square, two hours had passed. As they exited the carriage, Danny and Lindsay both shook hands with Ed and then Lindsay gave Thibodeaux a thank you pat for giving them such a good ride. Once again, Danny offered to pay for the ride but Ed wouldn't hear of it. They said their goodbyes and the young couple walked across the street to Café Du Monde for a late night desert.

They promised each other they wouldn't tell Lucy that they had eaten beignets without her as they ordered the sweet treats and a couple of hot chocolates. As they waited on their orders to be delivered, they watched the people who were still out even though it was almost midnight. It was another activity they had started when they were first dating. Their speculations about people they saw started off serious but quickly escalated to more outlandish and humorous stories as each tried to outdo the other. As usual Lindsay admitted defeat first unable to compete with Danny's creative imagination.

They finished the last of their beignets and hot chocolate. Danny reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm not ready for the night to end."

She smiled at him. "Me neither. How about we take a walk down by the river?"

As they made their way to the pier that was close to the café, Danny once again put his arm around her waist. He just couldn't seem to get enough of touching her tonight. The feel of her skin and the warmth of her body against his was like a drug that he was happy to become addicted to. She didn't seem to mind, in fact she seemed to crave his touch just as much. They stood on a pier watching the reflection of lights twinkling on the water.

They didn't speak; they were simply content to hold and be held. When Lindsay let out a very audible sigh of happiness, Danny smiled and whispered in her ear. "You like this, Montana?"

Lindsay grinned at his use of his nickname for her. He only broke it out now on special occasions. She was glad to see he was feeling the nostalgia of the old days as much as she was. "Back when we first started dating, did you ever think we'd be here?"

"In New Orleans? Nah, in case you haven't noticed, I don't get out of New York all that often." Danny chuckled.

"Jerk. I don't mean here as in location. I mean here as in married with a child. During my early high school years, my friends and I used to dream about finding the perfect man, falling in love, getting married and starting a family. After the shooting, I wasn't sure if it was even fair to dream that dream any more. I just put it out of my mind with so many of my other childish dreams. I don't think I even dared to even remember I ever had that dream until you came to Montana to support me during my testimony. I began to hope that maybe it would come true after all."

Danny wished he had the ability to give himself a severe kick in the ass. That's why his actions after Reuben's death had hurt her so much. Not only had he pushed her away but he had shattered a dream she'd already given up on once before. "Until you came along, I didn't think I would ever settle down. Didn't know that I'd ever want to. Certainly never figured there would be someone who could see through my bull enough to want to marry me. Then I realized how much you really meant to me and I think maybe I started to hope that maybe I could become someone worthy enough for you to want to spend your life with me. Then you told me you were pregnant., that we had created this whole 'nother life and I knew that hoping wasn't enough. I had to become that person you could depend on."

Lindsay twisted in his arms so that she was facing him and wrapped her arms around him as well, no longer content with just being held but needed to hold him as well. "I guess I'm not the only one who has some deep rooted insecurities. Danny, you are the person I love, the person I need. You didn't have to become him because you already were him. Yeah, we've had our rough spots, some my fault, some yours, some beyond our control. But in the end, they just made us stronger."

Danny cupped her face, staring intently into her eyes. "Baby, I love you so much. You and Lucy are the reasons I have for waking up each morning. When my day is going totally crappy, I think about the fact that when I get home, it's the two of you I'm coming home to and suddenly my day ain't so crappy anymore. Maybe this isn't what I ever imagined my life was going to be but I thank God every day that this is my life."

Tears of happiness filled Lindsay's eyes. How could just his look and his voice turn her legs to jelly? She wanted to completely lose herself in his arms and drown in those pools of blue that were looking at her with such love and tenderness. She moaned in pleasure as he lowered his lips to hers. He pulled away, breathing hard. "I really want to show you how much I love you, but I think even in the Big Easy it could get us arrested. So how about I take us back to Stella's so we can continue this conversation with a little show and tell?"

- CSI: NY -

Author's note 2: Wow, this was the chapter that didn't want to end. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. When I did my research on the insectarium and saw that they had a café that served bugs, I knew I had to write that into the story. It was just too good to pass up. I was also trying to find a restaurant that I could send them too. When I saw that New Orleans had a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. I almost made that my date place but decided to stick with a more romantic place. I couldn't resist putting in a little reference however. Again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I would love to hear what you though.


	53. Chapter 52

Author's Notes: I couldn't just leave the date night where it was. I had to do a short piece continuing where it left off. Mostly fluff here but I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 52<p>

By the time they had made it back to Stella's, it was a little after 1 in the morning. They let themselves in with the key that Stella had leant them before they had left. The house was completely quiet but they figured it would be. Danny locked the door and then took Lindsay by the hand to lead her to the bedroom. Both of them were almost desperate to reach their intended destination. It had taken all Danny's self-control to focus on the drive home and not on the beautiful woman sitting next to him. But still, their responsibilities as parents kicked in and they opened the door to the bedroom their little girl was using. She was sound asleep, turned on her left side with one hand curled under her chin and the other with her thumb sticking in her mouth. Roscoe looked up from where he was sleeping on the floor next to the bed. Seeing the intruders, his ears picked up and he gave a low warning growl.

Danny raised his eyebrow and pointed at him. "Watch it, Cujo." he whispered. "You may have a new friend and all but she's still mine."

Lindsay giggled and tugged him backward pulling the door to without closing it completely in case Roscoe wanted out. She pushed him up against the wall, pressing close to him. "You aren't really arguing with a dog are you?"

He kissed her. "Nope, it's not an argument if he doesn't argue back. Just making sure he knows the score."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Next you'll start marking your territory."

Lifting her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist, he carried her to their bedroom, locking the door as he closed the door. "Give me a little time and I'll show you what territory I want to mark. I think we discussed a little show and tell out on that pier."

Lindsay grinned and nipped at his neck before whispering in his ear. "Just so you know, I prefer the show to the tell."

Danny trusted the grip she had on him to be able to use his hand to reach behind her to untie the top of her sundress so the material hung loose on her body. Then he unfastened her bra before laying her down on the bed. He tried to straighten up but she kept her legs tightly wound around him, locking him in place. She reached up and started to unbutton his shirt, moving by feel as her eyes never left his face. As she slipped the material from his shoulders so that the shirt hit the ground behind them, he captured her lips with his, his hands tugging her dress down to reveal her perfect skin. Reluctantly she unwrapped her legs, releasing him only so that they could both be divested of their clothes. Quickly her dress was in a heap on the floor with her underwear and sandals joining it seconds later. As she lay there without any clothes on, Danny couldn't resist looking at her, admiring every inch of her body.

"Baby, you are so damn perfect. Do you have any idea how much seeing you like this affects me?" He whispered as he leaned down to kiss her once again. Her hands brushed against his pants, fumbling with the button and zipper. Her hands brushed against his erection, causing him to moan in pleasure. She grinned as she tugged his pants down.

"I'm starting to get an idea. I want you so much Danny. I've wanted you all night." Lindsay assured him.

He toed off his shoes and let his pants fall to the ground before coming out of his boxers as well. He pulled away enough to remove his wife beater as well. Then he lay down on top of her, careful to keep his weight off of her. Their lovemaking was slow and sensuous, neither one holding anything back. Instead they let the full extent of the passion that had been building with them all night crash over them as they lost themselves in the moment. It was closer to morning than night when at last they were both fully sated and collapsed into each others arms in exhaustion. Danny drifted off to sleep holding Lindsay as close to him as he possible could.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Danny wasn't sure how long he had dozed when he became aware of the fact that Lindsay was no longer in his arms and that she was crying. It wasn't heavy loud sobs; by contrast it sounded to him like she was trying hard to keep from making a sound. Instantly alarmed, he rose up on one arm so that he could look at her. The room was dark and even though his eyes were acclimated to the dark, he still couldn't make out her face. He could however see that her body was shaking. He reached over to turn on the bedside lamp so that he could actually see her face. Her eyes squeezed shut at the sudden intrusion of light but not before he could see how teary they were.

His heart began to pound with fear. What was wrong? Their lovemaking had felt so incredible and special but if it caused this sort of reaction in her, then it must have been so wrong as well. "Lindsay, Babe, what's wrong?" If anything, his words of concern only increased the tears. "Please, Babe, talk to me. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong?"

"Hold me." Lindsay managed to choke out. Without hesitation he pulled her to him and tightened his arms around her in a comforting embrace. He was pretty sure she could hear his heart loudly expressing its fear against her ear. He could tell by the halting nature of her two words that even if she wanted to, right then her emotions wouldn't allow her to explain. So he simply held her, pressing what he hoped were comforting kisses to the top of her head, her forehead, her cheek, wherever his lips could reach. He leaned back so that he was once more lying on the bed just holding her as tightly as he could against him. She was obviously upset but it didn't have the same feel to him as the panic attacks she'd had in the past. A sudden fear hit him like a knife to his heart. He turned her over so that he was hovering above her and he could once more see deep into her eyes.

"Babe, did I hurt you? Is that what it is?"

She shook her head, finally starting to get her emotions under control enough that she could talk. "I'm okay."

He looked at her skeptically. "You're okay? Babe, I hate to disagree with you but this doesn't look like okay to me. This looks like the opposite of okay. Can you please tell me what's wrong cause this is really freakin' me out?"

She blinked a couple of times trying to get rid of the last of the tears. She wasn't sure she could really explain but she knew she had to try. "Danny, this is the first time we've made love since the attack that you didn't hold back or hesitate. You didn't stop to check to make sure that I was okay with every move you made before you made it."

Danny closed his eyes and pulled away, collapsing against the bed in disgust with himself. She was absolutely right. He had gotten so caught up in the passion that he hadn't even stop to think about checking to make sure he wasn't upsetting her or crowding her. "Oh, God, Linds. I'm so sorry. I'm such a bastard. Everything just felt so right and I got lost in the moment. You should have said…No, damn it. Forget I said that. You shouldn't have to tell me. I should have.."

This time, she hovered over him, placing a finger over his mouth to silence him. "Let me finish. You didn't stop to check and I didn't think to react. I didn't freeze, I didn't feel frightened or uncomfortable. The sex was incredible and special and in no way dictated by what happen to me. It was exactly like it should be and like it was before all this happened. I'm sorry I scared you; I was trying not to wake you. It just hit me like a ton of bricks after you dozed off that it was so blessedly normal."

Part of Danny realized that she had been crying from happiness, not sadness but it didn't absolve him completely of the guilt he felt. "I'm not sure I like the term normal when used in regards to our love makin'"

Lindsay grinned and gave him a quick kiss. "Babe, I said normal not ordinary. Our normal love making is _always_ extraordinary. I could say all day long that I had put what happened behind me but here in the bedroom was the one place that I didn't have complete control. I know it still hasn't been that long and I couldn't expect to not have reactions but I wasn't sure if we'd ever truly get that easy spontaneity back. I worried that maybe we'd have to make a new normal for us. But then tonight everything was so right and perfect, or well, it was until I started trying to explain myself. I feel loved and I feel free. You did that for me."

What she was trying to explain was finally clear to him. He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't hurt her and would make sure she felt safe in his arms. Tonight he hadn't gone back on that promise. He hadn't hurt her and he had made sure she felt safe, not by over analyzing every move he made but by simply trusting himself and her and the moment itself.

He grabbed hold of her and flipped her onto her back, kissing her. "Want to see if there's something better than extraordinary?"

Lindsay grinned, kissing him back. She had been staring at the clock as she was crying earlier before he had woken up. She knew that it was close to four in the morning and that Lucy would be up before too long demanding attention. It had been a long time since they had stayed up most of the night making love but tonight it was going to be worth it. "Show me what you got, Cowboy."


	54. Chapter 53

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay. I've been caught up watching the College World Series on TV and not getting as much writing done. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 53<p>

Lindsay emerged from the bedroom around 9 o'clock, showered and dressed. She wasn't sure how much sleep she actually got but was sure it was less than a couple of hours. Even after their second round of lovemaking, she'd remained awake basking in the afterglow of the intense and wonderful feelings Danny had created in her. This time when he dozed off, she had stayed snuggled up beside him enjoying the moment without thoughts to what it meant or represented. She's finally dozed off herself but hadn't slept long before her mommy alarm forced her awake to check on Lucy. Danny was still sound asleep as she gave him a light kiss before slipping from the bed to take her shower.

The living room was strangely quiet when she stepped from the bedroom. A quiet Lucy usually meant some sort of trouble; she could only hope that Stella's house could survive whatever the two-year-old was up to. She could hear movement in the kitchen and headed in that direction. Stella was putting dishes in the dishwasher and looked up as Lindsay entered. The older woman smiled.

"I'd ask if you had a good time last night but I can tell by the way you are practically glowing that you did."

Lindsay blushed. She knew no matter how much Stella might want to hear all about the date, she'd never pry into the more personal, intimate details. She looked around the room before answering Stella. "Where's my daughter? If you tell me she's still in bed, I'm going to want your secret."

Stella laughed and refreshed her coffee before pouring a mug for Lindsay. She motioned her friend to the table where an array of pastries were sitting on a tray. "She and Roscoe were awake and playing before Brady and I were up. Brady went down to this great little seafood market on the waterfront to get fresh crawfish to boil for dinner tonight. Lucy went with him. I have to warn you that I think your daughter plans to sneak an extra living creature home with you when you leave tomorrow. I just haven't decided if she plans on it being Roscoe or Brady. The sad thing is, I don't think either would protest."

Lindsay laughed. "I'll be sure to check the bags extra well before we leave. Thanks for watching her last night, Stella. Danny and I had an amazing night."

"Olivier's is remarkable. Brady took me there on our first date. I thought you would like it. Did you hit one of the jazz clubs afterward?"

Lindsay shook her head. "After we thwarted a would-be robbery, we took a carriage ride around the French Quarter."

Stella almost choked on her coffee. "What robbery? Don't tell me you managed to find a crime scene to get involved in on your vacation."

With a laugh, Lindsay told about the guy who had tried to rob the carriage driver and how Danny had chased him down. "It turned out very nice, however. Ed was so grateful that he got his money back that he gave us the tour for free. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the average tour either."

"Was Ed's horse Thibodeaux?" Lindsay nodded, surprised that Stella could know that. Stella continued. "I've met him a couple of times down at Jackson Square. He's a really nice guy and he definitely knows the city. I'm really glad that the two of you had a great evening. It's going to be really difficult letting the three of you leave tomorrow. Sure I can't convince the three of you to move down here? I happen to have a couple of connections at the lab and I'm pretty sure I could swing jobs for the both of you."

Lindsay raised an eyebrow. "You do realize you are talking about Danny don't you? Taking Danny out of New York is like taking a fish out of water. It might survive for a little while but pretty soon it'll start floundering. Danny's the same way. He's done well so far but much longer and it's not going to be pretty. But you know the road works both ways. If you were to decide to come back to New York, you know Mac would make sure he had a job for you. And the DA's office is always needed ADA's so even Brady could have a job."

"What are you two out here plotting?" Danny joined them in the kitchen, kissing Lindsay as he passed on his way to the coffee pot.

She smiled at his back. "The same thing we do every day, Pinky. How to take over the world."

Danny laughed as he brought his full mug to the table and snagged a bagel from the tray. "The scary thing is, I actually believe you. So what's the specific plan and how much is the bail gonna cost me?"

Lindsay reached under the table and gave Danny's knee an affectionate squeeze. "I was telling Stella about how you single handedly lowered New Orleans' crime rate last night."

"Single handedly my foot. Someone was right on my heels providing back-up. Now that I think about it, I should have let you do the take down. It's been awhile since I've seen you tackled someone twice your size."

The door opened and Lucy came running into the kitchen at full speed, not stopping until she launched herself into Danny's arms. "Daddy, Mommy, Unc'a Brady gots baby lobsters. You gotta see 'em."

Brady chuckled as he followed her into the kitchen, pausing to greet Stella with a kiss. Roscoe was right at his heels. "Not baby lobsters, Lucy, crawfish. Good ole New Orleans mudbugs. Stel, I also went by the Farmers' Market and picked up potatoes and corn to go with them."

"And Unc'a Brady let me have more Benny's." Lucy held a finger over her lips. "Shh, it's a secret."

Brady ruffled her hair. "That was suppose to be our little secret, Luce, cause we didn't bring any back for your parents or Stella." Lucy giggled and buried her head into Danny's shoulder. Brady laughed. "Okay, I've got to get the bags in. Stella, is the tub for washing the crawfish still in the garage?"

"Should be. We'll have to get the vegetables ready as well. I bet Lindsay even knows how to shuck corn."

"What do I look like, a country girl? I did win the Bozeman Country Festival Corn Shucking Contest when I just a little older than Lucy. I think my record still stands today." Danny gave her a curious look; he wasn't sure if she was joking or not. The innocent grin on her face didn't give him much of a clue.

"Okay, I'm off to clean the crawfish then. Want to help me Lucy?" Brady announced. Lucy eagerly scampered down out of Danny's lap to follow her new friend. Danny pretended to look a little hurt to have been brushed off so easily.

Stella shook her head as Brady left the house again. "And she's got another one wrapped around her little finger. You two should probably be a little concerned about the power Lucy seems to possess over people. I don't think anyone is immune to it."

Danny laughed. "What do you expect? She's got her mother's amazing beauty and lovable personality; you throw in a hefty dose of the Messer charm and she's a force to be reckoned with. Don't worry; we'll make sure she only uses her power for good. I'm going to go out and see if Brady needs helps with the 'baby lobsters' as Lucy calls them."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"I didn't think she was ever going to settle down." Lindsay admitted as she looked at a now slumbering Lucy. The first twenty minutes of their flight had been filled with the heart wrenching sobs of their two-year-old as the little girl realized that they were saying goodbye to Stella and Brady at the airport. Their fellow passengers had given them almost murderous looks when they realized they were going to be on a flight with a crying child. They had tried everything to cajole the child into a better mood but nothing had worked. Finally she had collapsed against Danny's chest in an exhausted sleep. He continued to rub her back to make sure she was completely zonked. He glanced around.

"Good thing too, cause some of these people looked ready to show us the door. Not a fun prospect at 35000 feet. How about you? I couldn't help but notice that saying goodbye to Stella and Brady wasn't much easier on you. I was beginning to think Brady was going to have to get a crowbar from Stella's Wrangler to pry you girls apart." With his other hand, he reached over and gave Lindsay's hand a firm squeeze.

Lindsay sighed. "I hadn't realize just how much I missed her. I know it wasn't that long ago that she came to visit us but I was in pretty bad shape then so it wasn't like it was a fun trip. This one was nothing but fun. Even yesterday when we spent the whole day just hanging out at Stella's was nice."

Danny raised Lindsay's hand to his lips and gave it a light kiss. "Even eating mudbugs?"

She gave him a mock glare. "The crawfish themselves weren't bad, but I can't believe you even sucked the heads. That was just gross, Danny. I think I even saw those beady little eyes looking at me in my sleep last night."

"And here I was thinking you were snuggling closer to me all night tryin' to get frisky." Danny protested with a chuckle. Then he gave her a serious look. "You excited about going back to work tomorrow? I mean really going back, field work and all?"

Lindsay shrugged. "It seems a little surreal after the vacation we just had but yeah, I am. Chasing after that guy in Jackson Square the other night reminded me just how much I've missed being in the action. I don't think I'd even mind having to do a little dumpster diving. However, if you tell Mac that, I will make your life miserable."

She started chewing on her bottom lip just a little and Danny knew she had more on her mind. He waited a minute to see if she was going to volunteer the thought. When she remained silent, he looked at her curiously. "Okay, Linds, what's bugging ya?"

"Nothing." She said a little too quickly but then sighed and amended. "I really am ready to go back to work. More so to be back in the field than I was just to get back into the lab itself but part of me can't help but be a little worried. I'm sure I'm ready, sure that I can handle whatever happens but there's just this little part of me that wonders what will happen if I'm wrong. Being out in the field is the wrong time to have a bad reaction. What if I get called out on a scene and something reminds me of what happened and I just lose it? That happened to me before I went to testify in Montana. That time I almost blew my whole friendship with Stella."

Danny rubbed his thumb over the soft skin of her hand. "There was a big difference there, Linds. None of us knew what you had been through with the exception of maybe Mac. This time we all know. You know no matter how much you think you are ready or how much Mac might think you are ready; he's not going to let you respond to a scene by yourself. If something doesn't feel right, you admit it and excuse yourself until you can get control again. No one is going to think badly of you if you do. Everybody is going to be supportive."

Lindsay's smile was a little pensive as she admitted. "I don't want everyone looking at me waiting for me to break down."

"Nobody will, Babe. We all have cases that get to us from time to time, even Mac."

Lindsay sighed. "I'm worried about nothing, aren't I? I think it's the idea of going home that has me a little freaked out. Everything was just so much easier in New Orleans; maybe that's why they call it the Big Easy. I just don't want to get back to New York and lose the ground I've recovered. Especially with the thought of testifying again."

"I'm pretty sure New Orleans is called the Big Easy for other reasons if the stories Brady and Stella were telling us about Bourbon Street were true. But I get what you mean. Don't worry about it Babe. Sure, there'll be more reminders once we are home but I'm not gonna let you backslide. Yeah, you may have moments but that's all they'll be - moments."

For a little while they just sat there in silence, just enjoying being together as Lucy continued to sleep on Danny's shoulder. Danny looked down at her and then looked over at Lindsay. "You realize we're going to have a bigger problem on our hands when we get home, don't you?"

"What's that?"

"Lucy is going to be asking for a dog like every day now that's she made friends with Roscoe. Maybe it's time to give getting her a pet some thought. The guy who handles training of the K-9 units for the department has told me several times that he usually has at least one runt several times a year that would make better pets than working dog. He said if we were every interested to give him a call and he'd give us a good deal."

Lindsay frowned. "I don't know, Danny. I'd love for her to have a pet but shouldn't we wait until we have a house before we think about getting a dog that size? I know we've talked about buying a house, but I don't think I'm ready just yet. I'd really like to let everything settle down completely before we make another move."

Danny squeezed her hand reassuringly. "There's no hurry on getting a house or a dog for that matter. He might not even have a puppy ready for us yet. How about I give him a call this week and just check with him, let him know we are interested. Even if he tells me he has a puppy we can have immediately it will be a puppy for a little while. Our lease says we can have an animal in the apartment. It might mean walking him and using a pooper scooper for a while but we can handle that. By the time it gets big enough that we seriously need a yard, maybe you'll be ready. And if not, he stays an apartment dog. Brady has an apartment and Roscoe seemed pretty happy. We can make it work."

Lindsay smiled at him, loving that she didn't have to explain her reluctance to move just then to him. "Okay, we'll call him. But I don't think we should let Lucy know until he actually has a puppy for us to look at. No use getting her hopes up until we know for sure it's happening."

"Agreed. I love you, Lindsay. Everything's going to work out just right."

Lindsay smiled, able to agree with him completely for the first time since the robbery.


	55. Chapter 54

Author's Notes: Vacation's over and it's back to work for Lindsay. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 54<p>

The elevator door opened but Lindsay didn't get out. She stared out at the once familiar surroundings and willed her legs to step out but they refused to obey. She took a deep breath and took a step toward the door as it started to close. She punched the door open button and practically jumped out of the doors as soon as they opened again before she could lose her nerve.

"Lindsay? I'm surprised to see you down here." Sid Hammerback gentle voice greeted her as she stood in the doorway. He had seen her a few times since she came back to work but not here in the morgue. "Are you working the Dunhurst case? I don't think the body has gotten here yet."

Lindsay shook her head. "No, I think that's the case Danny got called to first thing this morning. I just came on shift; I haven't pulled a case yet."

Sid nodded and waited for her to continue. People didn't come down to the morgue just for the fun of it. Lindsay hovered nervously in the doorway a pensive look on her face. Setting his clipboard down, he went to her and led her into his office and offered her a seat. "Did you and Danny have a good trip to New Orleans? It's always fascinated me the way all of their dead are buried above ground since it's below sea level."

Lindsay didn't answer him, but glanced over her shoulder into the morgue. Sid could tell something was on her mind and decided to wait her out. Finally she turned to look at him. "Sid, I need a favor."

He smiled at her. "I somehow didn't think you came all the way down to listen to my witty repartee. How can I help you?"

She took a deep breath. "I get to return to the field today. I'm ready for it but I have to admit I'm a little nervous as well. The last dead body I was close to was the one I placed the evidence inside."

Sid nodded. "I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I discovered your band-aid laden ring in the wound track. Quite ingenious. Would it be safe for me to assume that you are nervous about how you will react?"

"Stupid huh? My job pretty much guarantees I'm going to be around dead bodies. I've been around them for years now and never worried about how I would react; I just did my job. Why should I be worried about it now?" Lindsay forced a little smile. "I just don't want to lose it on a scene. I know everyone would understand and be supportive but I also know that it would worry who ever was there with me and later Danny when he found out. I don't want to do that to anyone."

Sid gave her an understanding smile. Nobody deserved the pain she'd been through but he didn't know anyone who would have handled a recovery as well as she had. "So you thought maybe you could do a trial run down here before you get called out for the real deal. Come on, I was just about to complete a post on a body the night shift brought in."

The older man kept a comforting hand on her back as he led her back into the morgue. Lindsay was grateful for his presence. She knew they often joked about Sid going to his creepy place but he really was a kind and compassionate man. He indicated a man lying on the table. "What do you think?"

Lindsay leaned over the body, pulling on a pair of latex gloves. The scientist in her took over as she probed the small wound in the man's chest. She glanced back at Sid. "Sharp force trauma. Wound appears to be rough and jagged. I wouldn't think knife; what did this, a wooden stake to the heart?" She looked back at Sid who smiled.

"You haven't lost your touch. I'm just glad I only have to determine the when and the what. Someone else can figure out the why and the how. So you feel better about being out in the field?"

Her phone buzzed and Lindsay peeled off a glove to check it. "Looks like I have to be. That's Mac, he and I have a crime scene to respond to."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Twenty minutes later, Lindsay was kneeling next to her second dead body. Just as in the morgue with Sid, the scientist in her took over. "Single GSW to the head. Contact burn and stippling suggest he was shot at close range." She swiped the victim's hand with a round pad and then sprayed it to check for gun shot residue. "GSR on the right hand shows he had contact with the weapon."

Mac stood back watching her carefully. He'd been prepared for her first time back out in the field to be difficult; it was one of the reasons he'd made sure she worked the case with him but so far she'd been fine; like she hadn't had any time off from field work and like nothing had happened. "You thinking suicide?"

She shrugged looking around. "Possibly but if he killed himself, then where is the gun?" Almost on instinct she swabbed the man's other hand and nodded. "GSR on both hands. Maybe he was trying to wrestle the gun away from his attacker when the gun was fired."

Mac nodded and approached Lindsay. He extended his right hand to her forehead, thumb raised and pointer finger extended to look like a gun. Recognizing what he was doing, she put both hands around his hand and tried to push the "gun" safely out of the way. Even using all of her strength she wasn't able to move his hand much at all, certainly not enough that would prevent her death. She smiled at Mac.

"The murderer was much stronger than our victim. Otherwise the gun's trajectory would have been thrown off. This guy looks like he was pretty strong and athletic in his own right. Even though this is a sporting goods store, that's got to narrow our suspect list. Even if most of his clientele were physically fit, I wouldn't imagine many would surpasses the owner's strength."

Mac nodded. "The murder happened back here in the office area instead of the show floor so I'm thinking the murderer must be someone he knows. You don't let common strangers in your office. Flack, let's check and see if Mr. Sorenson had a business partner."

"I don't have to check. His partner is Greg Wiloxcie." Flack smiled at both Mac and Lindsay's surprised expressions. "What? I watch TV. Their commercials are on every other commercial break on the sports channel. Wiloxcie just won this big Mr. NYC body building competition and they've been using that fact to promote their business. Something along the lines of you can look like Wiloxcie if you buy sports equipment from him. You want someone strong enough to out muscle this guy, Wiloxcie would be a good bet."

"Let's bring him in for questioning." Mac ordered and then looked at Lindsay. "Let's check the rest of the building and the back alleyway for a gun. Maybe we'll get lucky and he left it behind."

The search of the rest of the store turned up no sign of a gun so they turned their attention to the back alley. Lindsay looked at the dumpster sitting across the alley from the business and remembered her conversation to Danny on the plane. She shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"What?" Mac looked at her in interest. She had always been one of his more enthusiastic investigators and he was finding working with her today was more like it had been when she first started at the lab six years earlier, like everything was new to her once more.

She shook her head. "Nothing, just remembering a conversation I had with Danny yesterday. I guess one of us has to check the dumpster and I'm betting it's not going to be you."

Mac shrugged nonchalantly. "Someone has to be the boss."

Lindsay laughed. "I'll go get the coveralls from the Avalanche." Once her clothes were protected by the coveralls, she climbed into the dumpster. Fortunately the dumpster must have been emptied recently because there wasn't much garbage to have to sift through. It didn't take her long to determine the weapon hadn't be thrown into the dumpster. Mac peered over the edge looking down at her.

"You find anything?"

"Besides the fact that for athletes, they have sorry excuses for lunch diets? No."

"Okay, I'm heading back inside. Our suspect must have taken the weapon with him. I'm going to see if I can find a motive in any of the papers on the desk. Join me when you finish."

"Gottcha. I'm just about finished here. I won't be far behind you."

She heard the door close behind Mac and pulled herself out of the dumpster. She brushed away small pieces of trash that clung to her coveralls before walking toward the shop. She was about to turn around and head inside when she noticed something slightly protruding from beneath the dumpster. She bent down and grinned. It was a gun. She pulled it from its hiding position. It was definitely a 40 caliber pistol; consistent with the bullet wound she'd observed on the victim. She grabbed an evidence envelope from her kit and dropped the gun inside and sealed it. She closed her kit and carried both it and the evidence in one hand and she went to tell Mac about her find.

Her free hand was on the doorknob when a hand snaked around her throat, cutting off her ability call for help. She allowed the kit to drop but kept a tight grasp on the evidence envelope. They couldn't afford to lose the murder weapon. A second hand grabbed her waist pulling her away from the doorway before slamming her back against the dumpster. A big meaty arm across her chest prevented her from moving or even drawing a full breath. She was pretty sure that this must be Wiloxcie but she couldn't be sure.

"I think you have something that belongs to me little girl." He snatched the evidence envelope out of her hand and she struggled as much as she could trying to grab it back. He merely laughed. "Give it up. I bench press twice what you weigh on a daily basis."

Her heart was pounding in her chest with fear but she couldn't let him get away with the weapon. She was glad that their coveralls included an easy access slit at the waist so they could reach their weapons in a hurry. She slipped her hand in and eased her weapon out of it's holster. The sound of running footsteps coming around the end of the building diverted her assailant's attention long enough for her to aim her gun at his head and cock the trigger. "Maybe but I bet your weights never had a gun they could pull either. Take your hands off me and drop the envelope before the lack of oxygen makes my trigger finger itchy."

Despite the gun at his head and the approach of other men with guns, it didn't appear that he was going to let her go. Instead, the hand across her chest closed around the material of her coveralls. Before Lindsay realized what was happening, he had her off her feet and flying in the direction of the other officers. She crashed into Flack, bringing them both to the ground, her gun skittering harmlessly away. The two officers with Flack fired off warning shots at the suspect. The assailant dropped to his knees and raised his hand dropping the envelope.

Flack looked at Lindsay in concern. Her hands were over her ears as if she was trying to block out the sounds. For a minute she acted like she didn't hear him and he worried that this was going to be like the time at the hospital when she had the flashback. He gently helped her sit up and pulled her into a tight embrace, hoping to reassure her. Slowly she lowered her hands and looked at him, her eyes a little wild. He raised an eyebrow in question. "You okay?"

She nodded, trying to get her breath back. She shakily rose to her feet, walking toward the suspect the uniformed officers had subdued and cuffed. She picked up the evidence envelope as the back door flew open and Mac came out, gun drawn.

"What the hell happened?" Mac demanded, putting his gun away as he realized the danger was over.

Lindsay handed him the envelope, her eyes reflecting the fright she had suffered. "I found our possible murder weapon and our possible murder suspect found me."

Mac looked from the envelope, to Lindsay's shaken appearance, to the suspect the officers were leading away, to Flack who was crossing over to embrace Lindsay. He didn't know whether to frown, laugh, or curse, or do all three.

"Sorry, Mac. Wiloxcie got away before I could track him down. By the time I realized he was coming back here, he'd already arrived. He had Lindsay up against the dumpster by the time we reached the scene. Linds, did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, glad that he hadn't mentioned her momentary freeze after the shots were fired. Now that the danger had completely passed, everything that had happened caught up with her. Someone holding her against her will, the gunshots that were still reverberating in her head, the sense of not being in control; they all washed over her at once. She struggled out of Flack's embrace and stumbled back to the dumpster where she threw up.

When she straightened up, it was Mac who hugged her tightly. She melted against him for just a minute, taking comfort in his arms. She knew she was okay, just shaken up and willing to take a minute or two to get herself under control. Then she pulled back and smiled at him. "I'm okay, really I am. Don't take this as some sign that I came back too soon. I'm just a little shaky."

He smiled back at her; the incident had no doubt been scary but nothing beyond what she could handle in the long run. "I know you are but something like what just happened would shake up anybody. Flack, take her to Avalanche and stay with her while I gather our stuff up. We're done here."

Mac waited until Flack and Lindsay were completely out of sight before reaching for his cell phone. He quickly dialed a number and waited for an answer. "Danny, it's Mac. Lindsay's fine but I wanted to give you a heads up before you heard about it from someone else…"

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

As soon as Lindsay stepped off the elevator, Danny was crushing her against him. She didn't protest or question how he knew to be there, instead, she simply held on to him just as tightly as he was holding her. Her shaking had eased during the ride back but the sounds of the guns firing were still loudly echoing in her mind. Danny and Mach exchanged glances and even though no words were said, the message was clear on both parts. Mac was telling him to take all the time he needed to take care of Lindsay and Danny thanking him both for the heads up and the time to be a husband instead of a coworker. After a couple of minutes, Danny pulled back and took a good look at her.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "He had me pressed against a dumpster and he was much stronger that I was. I should have panicked, should have frozen but I didn't. Yeah, it scared me but it didn't incapacitate me."

Danny led her to the break room sitting down on the couch and pulling her into his arms. Despite's Mac's assurances that she was fine, Danny hadn't been able to relax after getting the call. Talking to Flack after that and hearing just how dangerous a situation it had been had only increased his worry. She might be okay, but he wasn't sure he was just yet. He needed to see her for himself to know that she was okay. It was a reaction he always had when she'd been in danger at work, even before they were dating. Fortunately for him, he was the one who seemed to take more risks at work and found himself in danger.

"Flack said the guy was pretty big and that he threw you pretty hard. You didn't re-injure your ribs did you? Should we get Hawkes up here to check you out?"

Lindsay smiled and gave him a reassuring kiss. "I don't need Hawkes but I wouldn't turn down a couple of Tylenol either." Danny obligingly got the painkillers for Lindsay along with a bottle of water before rejoining her on the couch. She drank several swallows of the water after taking the pills before setting it aside, her head down. "Danny, I didn't freeze when he grabbed me but I did a moment later. The officers shot at him and I froze. I don't think anyone but Flack noticed and it didn't last but a minute but it happened. This morning, I was worried about reacting to a dead body but that didn't bother me. I never considered how I would react to hearing the gunshots. Weeks ago, I worried that it might happen after the reaction I had to the car backfiring at the park but I didn't even consider it today when I came back."

Danny pulled her closer, a little concerned by her current reaction, not what might have happened at the scene. Flack hadn't mentioned her freezing up on the scene and Danny was pretty sure he had told him everything important. Maybe her reaction seemed worse to her when it happened. "Flack said you had your gun drawn on the suspect when he came up. Do you think you would have shot him if you had to?"

Lindsay thought about it. She'd been focused in that moment and not thinking about anything but her safety and protecting the evidence. "Yes, I think I would have."

Danny smiled at her. "Then I wouldn't worry about the other. It's still going to take time for you to work through everything and we're all going to keep a close eye on you; probably more so than you'd want us to simply because we all love you too much not to. The same that you would do for any of us if the situation was reversed. From what I heard, you handled things fine out there so I wouldn't beat yourself up over the gun shots. The robbery and kidnapping was the just one more time gun shots negatively impacted your life; it's no wonder it's taking you just a little longer to recover from that part of it. Maybe we can spend some time at the range, in the next couple of days; let you get use to the sound again in a safe environment. Sound like a plan?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like a plan. I think I'm okay now. I should go help Mac process the evidence we got and I bet you have work on your case as well." Yet she made no attempt to get up still leaning against him.

Danny rubbed her arm absently. "You know, you stepped off that elevator like you just knew I was going to be there."

Lindsay smiled. "Of course I knew that's where you'd be. I needed you; where else would you have been?"


	56. Chapter 55

Author's Notes: This chapter is a little heavier than some of the previous ones. I look forward to seeing what you think of it.

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 55<p>

_Lindsay was pressed against a dumpster, held violently in place by a man two or three times her size. All he wanted was evidence that would implicate him in the murder of his partner but Lindsay refused to give it to him. Instead she drew her own weapon, determined to kill him if that's what it takes to save herself and the evidence. She's all by herself. Where was Mac? He had been so determined to make sure she was okay in her first day back in the field. Why had he left her by herself? What about Flack? He was the one detective more than any of the other officers who would make sure she stayed safe. She definitely wasn't safe; why wasn't he there? For that matter where were the other officers whose job it was to protect those that were processing the scene? Had everyone forgotten their job today? _

"_Step back and put your hands above your head. You are under arrest." Her voice was steady, not revealing even a trace of fear despite her precarious predicament. Instead of following her commands, the murder suspect merely laughed._

"_You think you are a match for me? I can squash you like a bug and never even think twice about it. I hope you said goodbye to your husband and little girl before you went to work this morning because they're never gonna see you again."_

_He wrenched the gun out of her small hand and used the butt of it to club her a couple of times in the face. Blood covered her face as her knees buckled under her. She was only half conscious but as the barrel of the gun pressed against her forehead, she was aware enough to grab hold of his hand. She knew there was no way she'd have the strength to push his hand far enough away but if she was going to die, she would go out fighting. She brought her knee up to connect with the man's groin but her attack only served to anger him more. _

_He pressed his body against hers so that his mouth was right next to her ear. "Nice try, Copper." She squirmed underneath him as his finger closed around the trigger, slowly squeezing it. More than likely, she'd be dead before she ever heard the sound of the gunshot. _

"_LINDSAY!"_

Lindsay Messer opened her eyes as the sudden shout pierced the night. At first she wasn't even sure where the sound had come from but as she tried to sit up to check things out, arms tightened around her body, almost crushing her with a sense of desperation. Then as the heavy clouds of sleep lifted from her mind she realized what was going on. Realized why her husband was suddenly holding her so tightly against him that she couldn't even move her head. One of his arms was around her upper back, the hand on the back of her head, pressing it to his chest, his heart beating wildly against her ear. His other hand went over her waist, heavy and taut pulling her to him. Even one of his legs was flung over hers trapping them against him.

She recognized the terror in his whole body. Too often her own nightmares had similarly encased her in such mind numbing fear, trapping her in the false reality that her subconscious seemed delighted in tormenting her with. How many times had Danny woken her from such dreams his calm voice raining reassurances down on her until at long last her mind processed the words and her body relaxed knowing she was safe. This time it would be her turn to do the same for him.

"Danny, Baby. It's okay. It's just a dream. Whatever it is can't hurt you anymore. It's okay. Wake up, Sweetheart. Everything's okay. I'm right here; you're right here and everything, everyone, is okay. Relax Darling. It's over. Open your eyes and see that everything's okay."

She could feel his tears hitting the top of her head. His muscles were still tight and she knew the nightmare, whatever it was, hadn't released its hold on him yet. Her heart broke when he began to whimper in his sleep.

"No, can't lose you know. Don't die, Lindsay. I can't live without you. I don't want to live without you. Oh God, Montana, please stay with me. I love you so much."

Her own tears filled her eyes. The intense devastation in his voice broke her heart. She could only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to listen to similar dream driven mumblings from her own nightmares, unable to do anything to really soothe the other until the nightmare finally released its victim from its torment.

"Danny, I'm not going to die. I'm right here in your arms and I'm not going anywhere. I know you love me just as much as I love you. Please wake up, Baby. See that I'm okay." Somehow she managed to twist enough in his arms so that she could press her lips against his, hoping her kiss would break through where her words seemed to be having little effect. His lips parted slightly at the pressure and she slipped her tongue into his mouth, allowing it to sweep inside so that he was completely aware of her presence.

The kiss seemed to break open something inside Danny. He twisted on the bed, pinning her beneath him, no longer content for her to take the lead in the kiss. His returning kiss was demanding and desperate. His mind was still locked in the nightmare but his body was responding to some intense need to possess her and feel that she was alive and still there. His hands gripped her arms in an almost bruising force and his tongue fought a duel with her own until she relaxed allowing him full access to every corner of her mouth. His actions were predatory and almost harsh and she couldn't help but feel just a little frightened. Still, she trusted him implicitly.

_Danny ran around the corner of the buildings. He had heard the call go out for an officer down and had instinctively known it was Lindsay. He had driven almost on autopilot to the scene, haphazardly parking the Avalanche in the middle of the street, barely paying attention to the vehicle in his need to get to his wife. _

_Now he drew up short about five feet from where her body lay. Her body was unnaturally still and blood was everywhere. He wasn't sure where she'd been shot but it didn't look good. He stumbled toward her, crying her name over and over again. Both Mac and Flack grabbed hold of him, trying to keep him back but he fought them off. He had to hold her, had to let her know that he was there. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her close. He didn't care if everyone saw him cry. He didn't care about anything but making sure that Lindsay was okay, that she knew how much he loved her._

"_Danny, I'm okay. I love you." Her eyes were closed and he didn't see her mouth moving but her voice was so real._

_Mac's hand grasped his shoulder. "I'm sorry Danny. She's gone."_

"_NO! She's not dead." He screamed. He couldn't lose her. She couldn't be dead. He could feel her body against his and she was warm and soft in his arms. She knew how much he needed her; she wouldn't leave him. He pulled her even closer and pleaded with her. "Baby, please don't be dead."_

"_I'm alive, Danny. Feel my heart beating." _

As she listened to his heart wrenching pleading, Lindsay managed to pry one of his hands away from the crushing grip he had on her arm and tugged it to her chest so that he couldn't help but feel the increasingly rapid beat of her heart. "See Baby. I'm okay. I'm right here. Wake up Danny and the nightmare will be all gone."

He was sobbing hard now, harder than she'd ever known him to cry. The hand at her heart brushed against her breast. His eyes finally opened and he stared at her wildly. "Linds? Babe? Really you?"

"I'm really here, Danny. It's okay. It was just a nightmare. Everything is okay."

His hands fisted her oversized t-shirt, pushing it up and over her head before returning to touch and knead the soft flesh of her breasts and his mouth crushed down on hers again. He was no longer trapped in the nightmare but he also wasn't fully aware of his actions. She could feel his arousal through his boxers straining for release as he pressed against her. One of his hands left her breast and snaked down to push his boxers away before tugging at her panties granting him access to where he desperately wanted to plunge himself inside her.

She trusted him and understood his need to assure himself that she was okay; if he needed this sexual contact with her after what had to have been a horrendous nightmare then she would be more than willing to give herself over to his desires, allow him to sate this primal need he seemed to have to be connected to her. Despite this willingness though, she knew she had to stop him before it went too far for his sake instead of her own. If he continued the way he was going, it would hurt her. It would be a pain she could live with but she wasn't sure he could. No matter how understanding she was or blameless she held him, he would hate and blame himself for every bruise or painful moment he caused her even if it was unintentional.

"Danny, stop."

It was only two words but they had more effect than anything else she had said to him. He immediately released her, falling on his back against the bed, breathing hard. "Linds? I'm so sorry, Babe. I'm sorry. Did I… ? Damn it, Babe, did I hurt you?"

"No, Baby. I'm fine. Everything is fine." Lindsay hovered over him, running her hand over his chest soothingly; her tone soft and calm in an attempt to help him calm down as well. She had lost count of the number of times he had done the same for her after a nightmare.

"It was so real. I was dreaming about what happened to you today but in my dream the suspect shot you. They were telling me you were dead. I thought I had lost you forever." He pulled her back down on top him, hugging her. The feel of her breath on his neck and the beat of her heart against his chest reassuring him that she was alive and still with him.

"You haven't lost me; you aren't going to lose me. I'm alive. I know how powerful those dreams can be. What do you need me to do to make it better for you?"

Ever so slowly she could tell that his heart rate was returning to normal. "You're doing it just by being here. This nightmare wasn't like any of the others I've been having. I couldn't break free." He sat up against the headboard and pulled her up with him in his embrace. He noticed for the first time her state of undress. His heart started hammering once again, this time not from the dream he'd escaped but one he was afraid he was waking up to. He could remember being almost so desperate with a need to connect with her but how far had he taken it? What kind of bastard had he been? He glanced down and saw that his boxers were pulled down, his arousal still evident. "Damn it, Lindsay. Please tell me…. I wouldn't have… would I? I'm so sorry baby." Without giving her time to sort through was he was saying, he released her completely, climbing out of the bed pulling up his boxers and rushing to the restroom. He barely made it to the toilet before he threw up. Once his stomach was empty he slapped on the hot water of the sink and cupped water in his hands to splash his face.

Lindsay turned on the bedside lamp and grabbed her t-shirt. As she slid it back on she noticed the red marks on her arms where he had held her. She was sure she'd have bruises there by the next day. Fortunately the arms of the t-shirt covered the marks. She needed to be there for Danny and he didn't need to see the physical reminders of his dream right then. She followed him into the bathroom where he was staring at his reflection with such a look of derision on his face that it broke her heart. She eased between him and the countertop, wrapping her arms around him. Instead of relaxing into her, he remained rigid, refusing to take comfort in her embrace.

"Danny, stop it. You didn't hurt me. You needed something and I gave it willingly. I would have given you so much more but I knew you would beat yourself up over it."

He ran his hands through her short hair, almost desperate for her touch but at the same time not willing to give into that desperation again. He pulled away, looking back into the bedroom, trying to remember exactly what had happened moments earlier. "I lost control Babe, and worse than that I took control away from you. How could I do that to you? Ever? But especially after everything that happened to you. I'm so sorry, Babe. Just how badly did I force myself on you?"

"You didn't take control away from me I gave it to you. I knew how you were feeling and what you needed and I was okay with that. You didn't force anything on me that I couldn't handle or be okay with." Lindsay reached out the touch his arm, trying to get through to him but he pulled away as if her touch burned him.

He looked back at her still feeling horrible for what had happened despite her reassurances that everything was fine. He could once again see his reflection in the mirror behind where Lindsay was standing. His hair was mussed and his eyes wild - red and swollen from the tears he had cried during the dream. He looked every inch the monster he felt he was. He bowed his head, his hands going behind his head in a clasp that would keep him from pulling Lindsay to him again. He shook his head.

"I'm such an ass. How can you stand there trying to make me feel better after what I did? I'm no better than Atwood. Forget that, I'm worse than that rapist because I should never have made you feel anything less than cherished. Baby, I almost raped you in our own bed. Fu.."

A resounding slap stopped his rant mid word. The palm of her hand stung probably as much as his cheek did and she placed her hand back over the area hoping to soothe the sting of both. Tears filled her eyes. "NO! Damn it, Danny, do not ever compare yourself with that bastard. You are nothing like him. What is this crap about making me feel anything less than cherished? Damn it, Danny do you have any idea how painful it was to listen to you think you had lost me? You sounded devastated. How could I not feel cherished? You were so upset about the thought of losing me that you needed that connection that belongs to just the two of us. Hungry kisses and desperate touches was as far as anything went. However, if you had made love to me tonight it wouldn't have been rape because I was a willing participant. Despite that, I stopped you before it went that far not because I was worried you would hurt me but because I was scared of how it would hurt you. I love you and, maybe more importantly in this instance, I trust you. You say you lost control but Danny, the second I told you to stop you did; that doesn't sound like you lost control to me. That doesn't sound like Atwood. So please, stop worrying about it. I'm okay; we are okay. Okay?"

For just a moment, she wasn't sure she had convinced him. He reached up and encircled the wrist of the hand she had pressed against his cheek. Ever so gently, he pulled it away. She thought he was going to bring her hand to his lips for a kiss but he didn't. His eyes begged her for forgiveness. "I gotta get out of here for a little while. I just gotta clear my head and work this all out. Go on back to bed. I'm be back in a little bit."

Before he could turn and leave the bathroom, her voice stopped him in his tracks. "I'm okay with what happened tonight but if you walk away right now, you will hurt me more than I can explain. I thought you were through pushing me away. I'm not stupid, Danny, I know my telling you everything is fine doesn't eliminate all your feelings and fears. Okay, I get that you are going to have work through it in your mind until you fully believe it. But please, Danny, let's work through it together. I need your touch now as much as you needed mine earlier. Trust that if you can't trust anything else."

Danny nodded after a long moment, lifting her hips so that she was sitting on the counter. He leaned against her holding her tightly. "I love you so much, Lindsay. I know I had to have scared you though at the very least and I'm sorry for that."

Lindsay kissed him, hoping to reassure him that she held no blame toward him. Then she pulled back, giving him a measured look. "Earlier you said this nightmare wasn't like the ones you've been having. How long have you been having nightmares and why didn't I know about them?"

Danny hung his head, cursing himself for not controlling what he said better. "Since you were kidnapped. Usually I wake up on my own before it gets too bad. Your nightmares were the bigger issue; mine were nothing compared to what you were going through. My dreams center around fears of what could have happened. How could I complain about that when your nightmares were about real traumas that you experienced?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Danny, we are a team. My fears are your fears and your fears are my fears. One isn't any more important than the other. You may have had a different kind of hell to go through while I was missing but it was still hell. Don't dismiss your feelings as any less important than mine. If you are having nightmares, then I want to be there for you just like you've been there for me. We support each other; that's what marriage is all about. Okay?"

He nodded, leaning in to kiss her, hesitantly at first but then with increasing passion. She wrapped her legs around his waist as his hands darted up and down her back in tender caresses. After a couple of minutes of kissing, he lifted her off the counter and carried her back to the bed. He gently laid her down before climbing into bed beside her, never breaking the kiss. He still didn't quite trust himself to go any further than kissing but that was okay; they poured everything the other needed to feel into the kissing. When at last he pulled back, Lindsay stared into his eyes, glad that she had turned on the bedside lamp before following him into the bathroom.

"Danny, what happened at that crime scene today was scary but I made it through it. I'm ready for whatever happens tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. I can do it because I have the support of my husband and my friends and because I love my job. But it's not just about me here. Do you need me to take more time off? At least until your nightmares ease?"

Danny realized the enormity of the gift she was offering him. He gently caressed her cheek before shaking his head. "I'd never ask that of you, Babe, anymore than you'd ask that of me. No doubt, we gotta dangerous job and shit like today is gonna happen no matter how careful we are. But in the long run, the things that have hurt us the most weren't even work related. I got shot while we were off duty at a bar and you were taken hostage while at a bank. We aren't going to quit living our lives are we? What would be the sense of living if we did that?"

He kissed her again reaching over to turn off the light so they could snuggle back down to go back to sleep. He pulled her close to him, holding her tightly against him. "Still, I wish I had been there today."

"To protect me?"

"Nah." His hand ran up and down her arm. "To see the look on Flack's face when you crashed into him taking him to the ground."


	57. Chapter 56

Author's Notes: Personal plea for assistance, here. There are two stories that I have read in the past here at that I've been wanting to go back and reread but I can't remember the names of them and I can't find them in the search feature. If you recognize the description and can help me with the names, I'll be forever grateful. You can either let me know in a review or send me a PM. Thanks in advance.

Story one: It takes place after Danny is shot. Lindsay is exhausted trying to take care of Danny, the new baby, and work. Danny is being a bit of a jerk to her as he's not dealing well with being in a wheelchair. Mac offers to help but Lindsay turns him down until she goes home and Danny's ordered supper from her favorite restaurant and didn't order her anything.

Story two: I remember less about this one but it starts out with Danny enjoying the smell of someone else's cigarette and he admits that he quit smoking after his child was born. I want to say maybe she'd been kidnapped but I can't remember for sure.

Sorry for the long author's note and shameless plug for help but again, I'll be grateful to anyone who can help me locate them. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 56<p>

"Lindsay?" Jo Danville called out across the lab as she saw Lindsay leaving her office. The younger woman stopped and turned to wait for her. She smiled at her friend.

"Hey Jo. I think you are the only one I didn't get to see yesterday. Hawkes said you had the day off."

Jo shrugged. "Guilty as charged. It was one of those rare days that Tyler also had free so he, Ellie and I did all those typically touristy things people do when visiting New York. We had a blast. I understand that you had an interesting day, though. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Not what I was expecting for my first day back in the field; I have to admit. But the murderer was caught. That counts for something, right?" Lindsay tried to brush off the incident and hoped Jo bought that it hadn't been a big deal. The truth was the incident at the crime scene wasn't as bad as the aftermath had been for Danny. She didn't think he had slept the rest of the night, as if he were afraid of falling once more back in the grips of the nightmare. She'd tried to stay awake with him, knowing it was what he would do if the situation had been reversed, but exhaustion had finally caught up with her and lulled her back into a dreamless sleep. When her alarm clock had woken her up, he hadn't been in bed anymore but she could hear him rooting around the kitchen. It had given her a chance to shower and dress without him noticing the red marks the shape of his hands on her arms that were well on their way to turning to bruises. The three-quarter lengths sleeves that she was wearing today deftly covered them completely. Fortunately the well working air conditioner in the lab was a good excuse on the summer day to be wearing the longer than usual sleeves.

Jo leveled her gaze at Lindsay, not quite buying her nonchalant attitude. "Linds, it's okay if it freaked you out a little. I think I'd have a hard time dealing with having a murder suspect grab me like that. I've seen him on commercials; he's huge."

"I'm fine. Really, but thanks Jo. Do you know if Mac is in his office? I had a memo that he wanted to see me when I got in."

She nodded, sensing that Lindsay didn't want to talk about what happened. "He was the last I noticed. I still want to hear about yours and Danny's trip to New Orleans. We'll get together later and talk."

Lindsay promised and then made her way to Mac's office. She could see that he was on the phone but he motioned her inside when he saw her at the door. He indicated his couch as he appeared to be listening to what was being said on the phone and she crossed the office to sit on the couch until he finished.

"Okay, I get it. You think I screwed up; I'm not totally disagreeing with you. But thank you, I didn't feel quite bad enough." Mac looked uncharacteristically flustered by whoever was on the other end of the line. "I promise you it won't happen again. She's in my office now. I'll talk to you later. Bye." He hung up the phone and ran his hands over his face.

Lindsay felt bad as she realized she'd apparently been the topic of conversation. "That didn't sound like a pleasant conversation. I'm sorry, Mac."

He shook his head, rising from his desk to join her on the couch. "You don't owe me any apologies."

Lindsay stared at a spot on the floor. "It sounded like you were taking heat about what happened yesterday. It's not fair, Mac. Chief Sinclair wasn't there, he doesn't know what happened."

Mac chuckled. "I wish that had been Sinclair; it would have been much more pleasant. That was Stella. Apparently she heard about what happened and was giving me an earful about leaving you alone at a crime scene on your first day back in the field. I don't think I want to know what part of my anatomy she threatened to kick in fluent Greek."

A warm blush crept up into Lindsay's cheeks. How had Stella found out? "I didn't tell her Mac. I didn't even call her yesterday because I figured she would be swamped with it being her first day back at work after our vacation."

He shook his head, waving off her protests. "I think Flack was the culprit. He feels about as guilty as I do that you were put in danger."

"Neither one of you should feel guilty. Flack had gone to arrest Wiloxcie and couldn't have known he would double back. You were doing your job and allowing me to do mine." Lindsay was confused, but felt the need to address their misguided feelings of blame before she went any further. "Flack had to have known Stella would rip him a new one if she found out what happened. Why would he willingly call and tell her?"

Mac laughed. "I think that's what he was hoping for. He kept waiting for someone to lay into him yesterday but nobody did. He expected me to yell at him at the crime scene and when I didn't he called Danny. Instead of chewing him out, Danny thanked him for letting him know what happened and for cushioning your landing. He called Stella knowing there was no way he'd get out of a tongue lashing from her. I think he got what he was looking for; but unfortunately I got my share of it as well."

"Mac, neither one of you deserves a tongue lashing. It could have happened to any of us; it was just my bad luck that it happened to me. I don't want everyone treating me with kid gloves because of what happened. If that's the way its going to be, then it's going to make it really difficult for me to do my job."

Mac raised his hand in protest. "Maybe part of me feels worse because it was you who was there. It was your first day back in the field and I paired you with me to keep an eye on you." Despite the fact that he could feel her bristling up, he hurried on with his explanation. "Not because I didn't think you could do the job but because I couldn't be sure what the job would do to you. I know you too well, Lindsay. If I had allowed you, you would have gone back into the field weeks ago determined not to be controlled by what you went through. I wanted to be there to be able to step in if I thought you were pushing yourself too hard because I knew you'd never admit to feeling overwhelmed. When I went back inside, I did so because I realized I was worried for nothing. You were fine. When I heard those shots being fired, my heart dropped. I didn't know what I was going to find when I went back to that alley. But there you were, shaken but no more so than anyone else would have been in the same circumstance. And you are right, it could have happened to anyone and I would have still felt guilty regardless."

Lindsay knew he was telling the truth and felt guilty for getting defensive about it. "You know, if you had taken the dumpster duty on that one, it would have been you out there when Wiloxcie came up…"

Mac laughed. "Nice try, Lindsay. I picked up the phone a couple of different times last night to check on you but I didn't want you to feel like we didn't have faith in you. I hope yesterday's incident didn't spark nightmares last night."

There was no way Lindsay was going to discuss the nightmare Danny had and the intense reaction it had caused. Though he had acted like everything was fine, he had still been reserved that morning when she'd finally emerged from the bedroom and she knew he was still upset by what had taken place during the night. She could only hope that he would work though his guilt during the day. "I didn't have nightmares at all. Don't worry, Mac. Is that why you wanted to see me this morning? To check on me?"

Mac sighed. He had volunteered to do this; he knew it would be better coming from him but he didn't like it. "Part of the reason, but not the main one. Lindsay, I got a call yesterday evening from the federal prosecutor. Atwood's defense attorney got word that you were back in town and he petitioned the judge to move up the sentencing phase of the trial and the judge agreed."

Once more, Lindsay sought out the spot on the floor that had earlier caught her attention. Part of her was glad to be able to get it over with. One last time to have to deal with the Atwood before she could put the whole thing behind her. The other part of her wished the day would never come. She didn't want to keep dwelling on what happened. "When?"

"Tomorrow." Mac's voice was full of regret. Lindsay's head came up sharply.

"Danny has to testify tomorrow in the O'Shanessy case."

Mac nodded grimly. "I know. I tried everything I could to put one or the other off; I tried to call in every favor I could but neither judge would budge. The best that I could pull off was that the federal prosecutor promised to try to put off your testimony as long as he could in the day and the DA promised to try to get Danny on the stand first thing and then release him. Regardless there's no way of guaranteeing that Danny will make it to the federal courthouse before you get called to the stand. I'm so sorry Lindsay. I promise I will be there with you the entire time. "

Lindsay shook her head, determined not to let him see how upset she was about news. "Nothing you can do about it, Mac. Just rotten timing, right? Thanks for letting me know about the date change. I guess I should get back to work now."

She rose to leave but Mac reached out to take her hand and tug her back down to the couch. He reached out and lifted her chin so that she was looking him in the eye. "You can do this Lindsay. One more hurdle and it'll all be over with."

"Yeah, I know." She flashed him a smile, hoping that it looked convincing. "Really, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me.." She allowed him to give her a comforting hug but then she rose and left the office before he could call her back. Before heading to her office to start on the work she had told Mac she had, she made a beeline for the women's restroom. She needed a moment to compose herself before she ran into Danny. She knew he was going to take the news about the conflicting trials worse than she was and it would only be worse if he saw that she was really upset about it. In the bathroom, she splashed her face and then touched up her makeup. She hid out in the rest room for a good ten minutes, allowing her heart rate to return to normal and any outward signs of shaking to diminish before she left the safety of the restroom. She walked to the office she shared with her husband and reached it just as he was hanging up the phone. For a moment she hoped Stella hadn't called him about what had happened the day before. The last thing Danny needed was any undeserved blame put on him. The grin he shot her told her that it hadn't been Stella.

"Hey babe, that was my friend in the K-9 unit. He has a couple of puppies for us to look at. No German Shepherds like Roscoe but a couple of different Labs. It'll be about a week before either one is old enough to leave its mother but we can at least get first dibs on the one we want. I thought maybe we could stop and take a look at them on the way to the shooting range this afternoon. What do you think?"

Lindsay smiled. The last two days Lucy had talked nonstop about Roscoe and how much she missed him. It was enough to make them realize that getting her a puppy was going to have to happen fairly quickly. "Sounds great."

He eyed her carefully and then stood from his desk. He led her to her desk chair and then perched on the edge of her desk in front of her. "What is it? Jo said you were in a meeting with Mac; did something happen?"

Sometimes she forgot just how well he knew her. "Mac got a call from the federal prosecutor. The sentencing phase got pushed up."

Danny nodded. He'd almost been expecting something like this. "As long as it's not tomorrow, it shouldn't be a problem. When do you have to testify?" Her eyes averted his and he shook his head, knowing the answer. "Damn it. Tomorrow? You gotta be freakin' kidding me. Tomorrow? Okay, no problem, I'll call the DA's office and get my testimony in the O'Shanessy case postponed."

Lindsay shook her head. "Mac already tried."

"Then I won't go. Hawkes helped on the case; he can testify in my place."

Lindsay frowned, leaning forward so that she could put her hands on his thighs. "Hawkes helped but he doesn't know the case the way you do. Do you remember what happened the last time he had to stand in for you? O'Shannesy killed his wife and his pregnant mistress. Do you really want to take a chance he goes free?"

Danny shook his head, his eyes just a little wild. "I don't care. This job doesn't mean anything compared to what I feel for you. I can't let you go through testifying without me there to support you. If they can't understand that, then screw 'em."

Lindsay sighed. She rose from her chair so that she could wrap her arms around him. He didn't put his own arms around her and she wasn't sure if just his frustration over the conflicting trials or a side effect from the nightmare the night before. "Babe, I love that you want to be there for me. I want you there but not at the expense that a killer goes free. You have to testify tomorrow just like I have to testify. It sucks but there's nothing we can do about it. Mac will be there for me. He's also talked to the DA and you'll testify right away and hopefully be through and able to make it to the courthouse before I have to testify."

Now, Danny did wrap his arms around her, pulling her even closer. He hated it more than anything but he knew she was right. "I'll be there when you testify, Babe; if not physically present in that courtroom, then I'll be there in spirit, right there." He brought a hand around to place right over her heart.

Lindsay smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss, not caring if someone saw them through the glass. "I knew that already. That's why I can be okay with doing this."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"You think she's going to like her?" Danny asked as they left the kennel and headed to the shooting range.

Lindsay shot him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? It's going to be love at first sight. You might have noticed that I wanted to bring her home right away."

Danny grinned. "I did notice that Mark was watching you pretty carefully when we left to make sure you didn't sneak her out. I vote that we don't tell her we are getting the puppy until it's time to bring her home. Otherwise we are going to be answering 'how much longer' for the next week. We'll start picking up dog accessories but keep them hidden until its time to tell her."

Lindsay nodded. "Agreed." The puppy, a cross between a chocolate and golden lab with light green eyes, had been easy to fall for. Danny might pretend that it was only Lindsay who had instantly fallen in love with the puppy, but she'd seen the way his heart had melted when the puppy instantly licked Danny's nose when he had picked the puppy up. The other puppy Mark had available was also cute but didn't come close to creating the emotional attachment they immediately felt for the puppy they had chosen.

Once inside the shooting range, the peacefulness that had settled over Lindsay at the kennel started to fade only to be replaced by intense butterflies in her stomach. The officer in charge of the range checked their weapons and clips; as officers they had to account for every round fired from their guns, including at the range. He marked how many rounds they came in with and would do the same at the end to file the report with the department in case of discrepancy in the field. Then he issued them ear plugs and targets. As they stepped into the shooting area, Lindsay took a deep breath hoping to steady her frazzled nerves. _Think of the puppy. Think about how much Lucy is going to love her. _She kept letting different thoughts run through her head to distract her. Danny led her to an empty shooting box and placed one of his targets on the line and sent in to the end of the range. He glanced back at Lindsay. "You want to shoot first?"

She shook her head. "Why don't you shoot first and let me get used to hearing the sound again."

Danny nodded and put in his ear plugs. Lindsay did the same as she stood behind him. Each shot he made caused her to visibly flinch. Her breathing became labored and she could feel herself getting lightheaded. She sank down on the bench behind the shooting deck, glad that Danny had his back to her and couldn't see her reaction. She had to get passed this. She closed her eyes tightly as is it would help block out the sound. In her six years at the New York Crime Lab, she hadn't been in many gunfights but the possibility always existed in her line of work and she couldn't have a panic attack every time she heard a gun being fired. Not only was it unprofessional, but it could get someone killed. Once he fired off a full clip, he brought his target and looked at the results in satisfaction. Every bullet landed in a kill zone. He holstered his weapon and looked back at Lindsay.

He knelt in front of her resting his hands on the outside of her thighs. "Babe, you okay?"

She took several more deep cleansing breaths and nodded. Opening her eyes she looked at him in almost misery. "This shouldn't be this hard."

Danny nodded. "It'll get easier. Come on, why don't you take some shots. Maybe it'll be easier if you are controlling the shots."

Lindsay nodded and stood on shaky legs. Danny set up her target for her and stood back as she prepared to fire. Her arms were trembling as she held her gun in firing position. Her hands had been amazingly steady the night she had killed Shane Casey, fortunately so since he was holding her daughter in harms way. As her finger tightened on the trigger the voice of her nightmares filled her head.

_"Copper thinks she's all tough now that she's got a gun. Go ahead, pull the trigger. I know you want to. You'll see that it's actually quite a nice thrill knowing that you hold the fate of a person's life in your hands. It won't make things better though. Even dead I can still control you. Ole Danny will try to touch you and it'll be my face you see."_

Her shot was way off, she knew that without even having to look at the target. A single tear ran down her cheek as she quickly fired off two more shots. These at least hit the target but barely. Danny wrapped his arms around her waist, his mouth close to her ear, loud enough that she could hear through the plug but not loud enough to carry anywhere else.

"Relax Babe. You can do this. Just clear your mind and take a couple of deep breaths. Visualize your target and shoot between heartbeats." She leaned against him for just a second and then nodded. He pulled back to give her the room to fire.

She did as Danny suggested and this time she was sure her shots hit where they were suppose to. The sound still grated on her nerves like nails on a chalkboard and she could feel her concentration waver again. Once more, the voice she never wanted to hear again, filtered through her defenses.

"_You missed… I'm shaking in my boots, Bitch. What are you going to do if I don't? Shoot me? Go ahead and make my day…."_

Then her own words added themselves to the mix. "_I didn't do that for him. I didn't kill him because death was too good for him. Death was too easy and too quick and I wanted him to suffer. I want him to sit in that jail cell for how every long scared of what each day could bring for him. I know how scared he is of going back to jail and I want him feeling that fear, that same fear I felt at his hands. I have more compassion for the animals on the farm than I showed a human being today. Danny, how can I condemn him for what he did to me and the others when I'm sentencing him to the same thing?"_

Once again her shot was way off. She set her weapon down and turned to Danny who was watching her worriedly. Her face was pale and she was shaking. "I can't do it Danny. I need to get out of here."

Danny wanted to give in to her wants. Wanted to march her right out of the shooting range and to their vehicle where he could take her home. But he couldn't do that with this; he couldn't take the easy way. He shook his head and turned her around so that she was once again facing the target. His hands on her own, he made her pick her gun up and hold it at the ready. His hands on her own helped to steady her and his voice in her ear drowned out any others.

"Just a couple more shots Babe and we'll go home. I can't let you leave like this. Relax and aim for the target. Take a deep breath and fire."

This time the shots ripped right into the center of the target. Satisfied, he let her holster her weapon. He retrieved her target and looked at her. "You ready to go home?"

She nodded and let him lead her out of the range. It took a few minutes for the officer in charge to check and mark their number of rounds fired. He gave them an odd look when he saw their targets but Danny shook his head, cautioning him not to comment. Then, he led Lindsay to their vehicle. She didn't talk on the ride home, not even when he stopped to pick up Lucy at her school. The little girl chatted animatedly the rest of the way home and Danny responded appropriately while casting worried glances over at Lindsay.

He knew that her problems with the gunfire and her less than stellar performance at the range were only temporary. He had had similar issues after his shooting though he hadn't admitted just how bad it had been at the time. He wished now he had, simply because it would help ease her fears. He knew it wouldn't take her long to get her confidence back with practice but until then he wasn't sure that even his reassurances would help. He also realized it probably had just as much to do with the knowledge that she had to testify the next day than any real probably with the gun. He should have postponed their trip to a different day when she wasn't as distracted. He pulled up at the apartment and started to get out. Lindsay however didn't move. He glanced at her worriedly.

"Babe? You coming?"

She looked back at him, offering him a wan smile. "Give me a minute to just sit here. I don't want to bring my problems inside; neither you nor Lucy deserve that. Let me decompress for a moment and then I'll come up and I'll be okay."

Danny sighed, not sure if he liked this idea. "You sure? I know what happened at the range bothered you. You don't have to put on a happy face just because you think that's what we want."

She shook her head. "I don't have to put on a happy face but I don't have to bring gloomy Gus into the apartment either. Go on and take Lucy upstairs before she starts complaining about being trapped in here. I'll be up in just a moment."

Finally he nodded. "A'right but if you aren't up soon, we're coming back for ya."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Sure enough, by the time Lindsay came into the apartment, she'd managed to get a hold of the worst of her emotions and be more like her usual self. After they had eaten supper, she spent a little time playing with Lucy. She had to hide a smile when the subject about getting a dog crept into the conversation but she managed not to spill the beans. She gave Lucy her bath and then Danny volunteered to put her to bed. Lindsay took the time to go ahead and get her own shower.

As she undressed in the bathroom, she couldn't help but wince at the bruises on her arms. They didn't hurt but looked horrible. She lost track of time in the shower however, allowing the heat and steam to cascade over her and soothe her frazzled nerves. Since she lost track of time she wasn't aware that Danny had finished with Lucy's nighttime rituals and entered the bathroom. She stepped out of the shower with the towel wrapped around her torso.

Danny was standing there smiling at her. His smile faded however when he saw the bruises. "Shit, Linds, I didn't think Wiloxcie managed to do any damage."

His hands hovered over the bruises and with a sinking in his stomach realized that his hands matched the bruise pattern perfectly. He closed his eyes and took a couple of steps back, his eyes filling with tears.

"I did that didn't I? Damn it Linds, you said I didn't hurt you. Those are my handprints on your arms."

He glanced over at his reflection in the mirror, looking at the man who had hurt his wife and he couldn't control his anger. His right hand closed into a fist and he swung at his reflection with everything in him. Lindsay gasped as his fist collided with the glass of the bathroom mirror, causing it to crack. He reared back to take a second swing.


	58. Chapter 57

Author's Notes: Thanks for everyone who helped me find the stories I was looking for. Usually I can use the search feature to find stories I'm trying to reread but I couldn't remember anything helpful to use on the search feature. I was asked to post the titles here so I will: the first story was One Step at a Time and the second story was Seen.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 57<p>

Before Danny could take a second swing at his reflection, Lindsay grabbed his hand to stop him. "Danny, stop it. You are going to hurt yourself." She examined his hand and was surprised but pleased to see that he hadn't cut himself. She'd been afraid when the mirror cracked that his hand would be a cut up bloody mess Fortunately it appeared that he had retracted his hand before the glass could do any damage. "I thought we got you that punching bag so that you'd stop doing damage to your hands.

He shook his head. "It wasn't hanging in here at the moment I needed to take a swing at the bastard that hurt you. What does it matter what I do to my hands? I deserve so much worse. Your arms, Babe, I did that to your arms. The evidence doesn't lie. I wondered why you were wearing more sleeve today than you've been wearing. You were covering up the damage I caused, not wanting our friends to know that I hurt you. We see that almost every day in abuse cases. Do you know how many times I've had to stop myself from laying into some smug SOB husband who has no problem causing his wife pain and misery? Now I've done the same thing to you. I'm so sorry, Babe. I know sorry doesn't even begin to make up for hurting you." He closed his eyes so that he didn't have to see the evidence of the damage he'd caused.

She wasn't surprised that he was upset; she'd known he would be if he saw the bruises. From the moment they'd started dating, he'd been very careful not to so much as cause a hickey on her neck when they would make out, loathed to even leave even a love mark on her. She stepped closer to him, keeping his hands trapped between their bodies as she wrapped her arms around him. "Danny, I know they look bad right now, probably worse in your mind than they do my own. But they don't hurt and they will fade. I covered them up today not to hide them from our friends but to hide them from you. I knew it would upset you and I didn't want that. You are your own worst critic Danny. You beat yourself up over the littlest things worse than anything that anyone else could or would want to do to you. You didn't know what you were doing last night. You were caught up in a nightmare…"

"A nightmare." Danny shook his head, his body rigid against hers. "So because I had a bad dream, it's okay that I hurt you? It doesn't work that way, Babe. Dreams are no excuse for causing someone pain. 'I'm sorry you were hurt but you can't hold it against me cause I didn't mean it'? That's a cop-out. Mean it or not the pain is still there."

Her face went a little slack as she stared into his face. "Is that how you really feel?"

Danny nodded, glumly. Maybe now she'd understand the blame he felt at the pain he'd cause her. He didn't know how he was going to make it better but he'd spend every moment trying if she'd let him.

Lindsay stiffened in his arms all of a sudden and she released him. Her sudden shift of mood surprised him out of the funk he'd put himself in upon seeing the bruises. Though she had adverted her eyes, he could see the pain there in them but wasn't sure of the cause. "I see. Well, thanks for being honest with me finally."

She turned around and left the bathroom. Danny stood there for a moment in stunned silence watching her walk away. This was not her defeated look, the stance she took when she realized she wasn't going to win an argument, the one that usually ensured that she was the ultimate victor in whatever they were disagreeing with. She was really hurt and upset but he wasn't sure what about. Very few times in their relationship had he seen this side of her. The first time had been in their office three years ago after the fire that had destroyed Stella's apartment, the moment that he realized he could very well lose any chance of happiness he had with her.

They had been sitting at their respective desk when he had stated he was going for coffee and asking her if she wanted some. She'd declined and he'd been a bit of jerk bringing up forgetting her birthday once again. The look on her face had hurt him just as much as her words. Both were scorched into his memory as a reminder of what he had to lose.

"_Do me a favor Danny, don't reduce me to some shallow clingy girlfriend that's starting to suffocate you, ok! That's not what this is about! Ever since Ruben Sandoval died, I feel like I've lost my best friend. And don't mistake this for jealousy ok, I know what it's like to lose someone you care about, to see them one day and not see them the next and to know you'll never see them again. I would never expect you not to grieve but clearly you've just decided to do it all on your own…. Ok, I get it, my mistake for thinking that you might need somebody to lean on. And you know, for the record, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself because I've fallen in love with you and I have to figure out how to let that go."_

She'd been intent to let him go after that it had been his wake up call that he needed to hang on to the best thing that had ever happened in his life. Somehow he'd hurt her once again and he didn't think this had anything to do with the bruises he'd inflicted on her arms. He followed her into the bedroom. She had dropped the towel she'd wrapped around herself after her shower and was pulling a t-shirt over her shoulders. The jerky movements told him that she was fighting back tears.

"Linds, babe, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, why would anything be wrong?" She wouldn't face him as she reached for her lounge pants as well. "It's been a long day and tomorrow isn't going to be much better either. I'm just going to go on to bed. Goodnight Danny."

Danny crossed the room and sat on the bed tugging her down beside him. He wiped away a couple of the tears that had slipped down her cheeks. "What did you mean in there about me being honest finally? When haven't I been honest with you?"

She shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Tough." Danny argued. She'd gone from trying to absolve him of his guilt over hurting her to wallowing in some sort of other hurt he'd apparently caused too quickly for him not to have been guilty of something. There wasn't much he could do to erase the bruises he caused her but he couldn't sit back and not try to fix whatever else he'd done. "Lindsay, I don't want you to go to bed upset. Let me try to fix what I've done. You told me last night when I was upset by what happened in this bed that if I walked away that I would hurt you. If you go to bed upset with me then I'm going to feel the same way. Please, Lindsay, I don't want you to be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you. I get that you lied to me to protect my feelings. I'm just hurt that I accepted the lie so easily. I guess it's what I needed to hear it to make myself feel better but I guess it doesn't really help now."

She sounded so miserable that he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I'm gonna need a little more help here, Linds, cause I can't think of a time that I told you a lie."

"The Saturday night after I came home from the hospital." She admitted a little tearfully, looking up at him. Danny shook his head, trying to remember that night. The only thing that stood out about that night was that it marked the switch for her from the actually night terrors to the mind numbing nightmares that stayed with her long after she woke up. Seeing the lack of understanding on his face, Lindsay sighed. "It was the first real nightmare that I could remember after having all those night terrors. In my dream I was once more back in that little room in the warehouse and Atwood came back instead of being arrested." Her whole body shuddered as she remembered the nightmare as if it had just happened. Danny was surprised to hear her go into detail; she usually avoided talking about the nightmares even with him because it was just too painful for her. "My body wouldn't respond as he held me down. He was hurting me, Danny, and I couldn't stop him. Then I could hear your voice telling me that everything was going to be okay. Your voice broke through the pain and with it broke through the paralysis that had me trapped. My legs began to work and I brought my knee up catching Atwood in his groin. He fell off me with a cry of pain that sounded so familiar. That's when I woke up to find you lying on the floor painfully and protectively covering your boys. You'd been trying to wake me up when I kneed you thinking I was hurting Atwood."

Now, Danny remembered the incident. He hadn't been sure what she'd been dreaming when she screamed out but he'd known he needed to wake her up. He should have known better than to hover over her so closely until she'd been completely awake but he hadn't even seen the movement of her knee until he'd ended up on the floor in intense pain. She'd been horrified by her actions but he had assured her that everything was fine. But that had been weeks ago. Why was she bringing that up now?

"Lindsay?"

"I hurt you. You were just trying to help and I attacked you. But before I could even voice my horror at what I had done, you ignored your own obvious pain and returned to the bed to comfort me. You assured me that you were okay and that everything was fine. You didn't allow me to blame myself for hurting you for even a moment that night or the days that followed. You should have just been honest with me, Danny."

"I was honest with you, Lindsay. I hadn't even given that night another thought, Baby. You didn't know what you were doing; you were caught up in a nightmare. What kind of jerk would I be if I held that against you? Why are we even talking about that night now?"

Lindsay shook her head. Did he seriously not get it? "You just told me that a nightmare was no excuse for hurting someone. If it's no excuse then you must blame me for what happened that night."

Danny sighed, realizing now what had upset her. If it were someone else, he might think she was bringing up that incident just to make him realize he shouldn't blame himself for her bruises. But that wasn't Lindsay. She was manipulative like that. She'd accepted his words tonight as his true feelings and took that to mean that he blamed her for what she'd done to him that night. "It's two different things, Lindsay. What happened in here last night and how I feel about that has nothing to do with what happened all those weeks ago. You know what I remember most about that night? Feeling so damn helpless to make things better for you. Getting kneed in the balls isn't pleasant by any stretch of the imagination, especially not with the strength you pack in those gorgeous knees of yours. Still, if it gave you a sense of power or of feeling in control of the situation, then I would take as many blows to my manhood as it took to make you feel better. That's what I thought that night. That's what I still think tonight."

Lindsay buried her head in her hands. "How do you think I felt last night when it was you going through the nightmare? You were crying out that you thought I was dead. I would have done anything to help you through that pain; to convince you that I was alive and okay. We are married Danny, a team. There can't be one set of rules for you and a different set for me. Either helping someone through a rough time like a nightmare is okay even if it means a little pain or it's not. You can't have it both ways, Danny."

"It's not that easy for me, Lindsay. I guess it should be but it's not. It doesn't have anything to with what happened to you either. Call me a sexist if you want to but I'm your husband and Lucy's father. It's my job to make sure that the two of you are safe from any kind of harm. If that means wearing a silly hat and beads and playing tea part with Lucy, then I'll do it. If it means taking a more physical blow to my manhood, then not a problem. But I shouldn't have to protect you from me. Any bruise on your body is like a slap in my face that I didn't do my job right. I know you can take care of yourself and I know you want to take care of me the same way I want to take care of you but I can't help but feel the way I do. It's not that I expect less of you but that I expect so much more of myself."

Lindsay didn't answer but turned toward him and kissed him softly. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. He could feel the hurt leaving out of her and slowly he felt his own hurt lessening as well. He knew she'd been right earlier when she accused him of being his own worst critic. He demanded perfection in himself and felt the disappointment when faced with the reality that he was far from perfect more keenly than he would feel anybody else's disappointment. Finally Lindsay pulled back and shook her head. "You're right; it is incredibly sexist but I think I get what you are saying. I think we both tend to be too hard on ourselves. Maybe we need to start forgiving ourselves a little more."

Danny nodded with a self-depreciating smile. "Yeah, maybe so. You sure they don't hurt?"

Lindsay nodded. "I'm sure. What about the boys? They still hurt?"

Danny kissed her again, lying back on the bed, pulling her with him. "Linds, I think I've more than proven the boys are in prime conditions but if you would like for me to prove it to you once more; I think I can handle that."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

"This last I checked, this was still my lab. I will make those kinds of decisions if and when they need to be made." Mac Taylor growled into the phone. He listened for a moment or two, feeling his blood pressure rise the more he listened and paced back and forth as far as the cord on the phone would allow him. "Yes, I got the same report you received and I think taking action based on this one report is a bit extreme. With all due respect, you don't know my people the way I do, you don't know the situation." As he listened to another tirade, he picked up the report in question and frowned at the damning information it contained. He tossed it back down on his desk. "Sir, I don't think the two are connected in the least… No, sir, I had not heard anything of the sort and I think if there was truth to the statement I would have been told." The person on the other end of the line issued a final ultimatum and Mac realized there was no way he was going to outright win the argument. The best he could hope for was a compromise. "Sir, allow me to investigate this a little further to see if there is indeed a problem in the first place. If there is, I can promise you that I will follow through on your orders" He offered his suggested and waited for the answer. "Thank you sir. You won't regret this." Mac slammed the receiver down and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Almost immediately he picked the phone up again and dialed a familiar number and waited for someone to answer.

"This is Mac. Where are you?…We need to talk where there aren't so many eyes and ears around. Can you meet me at Finneans in ten minutes?…Thanks." He hung up the phone and picked up the folder once more. He put his suit jacket on and started toward the door, almost knocking Jo over on his way out.

She offered him a concerned smile. "Hey, are you leaving out? Ellie is spending the evening with a friend. How about we grab a bite to eat?"

Mac shook his head. "I can't right now. Sinclair is riding my ass about something and I have to get a handle on it before it blows out of proportion."

She fell into step with him. "Sounds serious. Anything I can help with?"

"Not yet but if that changes I'll let you know."

He arrived at Finneans at the exact same time as Flack. They settled at a table and both ordered a beer before Flack turned to Mac. "What's going on. You sounded pretty serious on the phone."

Mac leveled his gaze on the tough detective. "Personal feelings aside, was there anything you didn't include in your report about the incident yesterday at the sports shop?"

Flack took a long swallow of his beer before shaking his head. "Nothing that I can think of. Why?"

"I just got off the phone with Sinclair. One of the officers on the scene reported that Lindsay froze up at the scene. Did something happen before I came back out?"

"No, Mac; it didn't happen." Flack frowned, remembering that brief moment when he worried that she was going to have a flashback. "Well, maybe just for a second. But Mac, a murder suspect had her pinned against a dumpster and then picked her up and threw her. Who could blame her for needing a minute to collect herself. Not even a full minute. Sinclair really got a problem with that?"

"Sinclair is questioning whether or not Lindsay is emotionally and psychological ready to be back in the field. He wants her to go through a psychological evaluation and wants her to undergo a battery of skill checks in order to re-qualify to be in the field."

Flack whistled lowly, knowing that neither Danny nor Lindsay would be happy with that. "He's doing this based on one report from an officer who's probably looking to explain why none of the officers had though to station themselves in the back alley? Nice."

"It's not just that." Mac explained as he drained the last of his beer and ordered another one. While he was waiting, he handed the report to Flack. "This came across my desk this evening; I understand the same report was delivered to Sinclair. Apparently Danny and Lindsay made a stop at the shooting range this afternoon on their way home."

Flack looked at the target and then read the report. He shook his head. He'd always thought that the officer on duty merely made an account on the number of rounds were fired. He never knew they paid attention to how well you shot in addition to how much you shot. "This can't be right. She had to have been just having a bad day. We both know what a dead shot she is. He's really taking this seriously?"

Mac nodded. "I tried to tell him it was extreme but I think he's worried about the public opinion if something should happen. He wanted me to restrict her to just the lab again until she completed the qualifications but I convinced him to allow me to do a modified assignment until then. I have to take her gun until she re-qualifies and she has to work solely with either me or Jo."

"So glad to see Sinclair is having an ounce of compassion for what she's gone through. When are you going to tell her?"

Mac shrugged. "She's testifying tomorrow. That's going to be hell itself. I have to tell her but I can't do it while she's got that hanging over her. "

Flack closed the file and set it on the bar before picking up his beer again. "Lindsay has been phenomenal in all this. She's been knocked down so many times in the last month but she just keeps getting back up. At what point does she decide just to stay down? I'll be honest with ya, Mac; if it were me, I think I would have given up a long time ago."

Mac frowned. "Me too, Flack. Me too."


	59. Chapter 58

Author's Notes: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. I love getting your comments on the story. I tried posting this several times last night but couldn't get it to upload. Don't know what was up with that.

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 58<p>

"You've been pretty quiet this morning. Worried about taking the stand again? Say the word, Babe and I'll blow court off and be there for you." Danny promised as he pulled away from Lucy's preschool and drove toward the lab. He personally was dreading having to make his own testimony in the O'Shanessy case. It was a slam dunk case but it was preventing him from being where he really needed to be, there while Lindsay testified. All it would take is the slightest hint from her that she wanted him there and he would do exactly as he promised. He knew she'd never let him though; she would worry too much about a murderer going free.

"Right, I can see it now. The minute you don't show up at the courthouse for your trial, the DA, who probably has Mac's cell number on speed dial, is going to make a phone call. That way, the moment you show up at the federal courthouse, Mac is going to be ready to have you for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a solid week."

Danny sighed. "I know, I know. I just worry about you being in the same room with that bastard. He's already been found guilty, what's he got to lose trying another attack?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wanted to take them back. _That's great Messer _he though to himself _give her something to worry about when you can't be there._

Lindsay reached over and took his hand in her own, giving it a squeeze. "I have an idea. How about I testify in the O'Shanessy trial and you testify for me?"

As he stopped at a red light, he leaned closer to her to tell her in a conspiratory whisper. "I know you are joking but I gotta tell you I'd be okay with that."

Lindsay laughed. "You goof. I'll be fine. Mac will be there and he's only slightly less protective of me than you are. You will be there as soon as you can, hopefully before I'm even called to the stand. And we'll both keep our phones on vibrate and we can text each other so we know what's going on."

As they passed the shooting range, Lindsay felt a flutter of unease in her stomach. She didn't want to admit it to Danny just yet but her reaction and subsequent performance was currently bothering her more than the thought of testifying later that morning. Her court appearance had to do with things that had already happened. It might be scary and painful but there was nothing in that courtroom today that could hurt her unless of course as Danny had just suggested Atwood decided to do something totally stupid. But the chances of him getting the opportunity were so low that she didn't really worry about that. Her inability to handle the sound of weapon fire or to hit a target twenty five feet away was something that could impact her future.

She'd brought it up again last night over supper, suggesting that she tell Mac about her momentary freeze at the scene the day before. She argued that it would be better for him to hear about it from her than from someone else. Danny had countered that he was sure Flack hadn't even noticed anything and even if he had, he wouldn't rat her out.

"_Linds, don't worry about it. If we have to, we'll spend every afternoon at the range until you feel more comfortable. If you bring Mac into it, he might have no choice but to make it something official."_

_The look she gave him was full of misery. "You don't think a log of that many bullets being used at the range wouldn't raise some notice? In the six years I've been here, I've gone to the range like maybe once or twice a month. If I suddenly start showing up one or two times a week, that's a red flag that something is going on."_

_Danny had shrugged. "Then we don't use the department range and our service revolvers. We'll go to that civilian shooting range over on Oakhurst. I've got my granddad's old 38 that we can use. Don't let one crappy day at the range get you all worked up that there's a problem. You had a lot on your mind this afternoon. What happened at the crime scene yesterday, getting the call about testifying tomorrow, both of those would be enough to throw someone off their usual game."_

"_What if those things are on my mind at a crime scene? What if instead of myself being in danger, it's someone else and I get them killed because I can't use my gun properly?"_

_Danny had sighed; he hated seeing her upset about things. He wanted to make things better but he wasn't sure how other than to reassure her. "I don't think that would happen. All I'm saying is give it a little time; let's try it my way for a week or so and if things haven't improved, then you go to Mac and see what he recommends."_

Lindsay had let the subject drop after that but it still weighed heavily on her mind. Though Danny might be right that a one time incident didn't make a problem, she couldn't help but think that his wait and see approach after his shield had been stolen from his locker at the acupuncturist had resulted in Shane Casey being able to escape from prison. Could they really afford to take the chance of making the same mistake twice?

"Hey Babe, maybe after we get through today you and I could stop back by the kennel and look at Lucy's puppy again. I bet it'll help relax you some and Mark can give us a list of essentials we'll need to pick up before we bring her home."

Lindsay smiled and shook her head. They had agreed to keep the puppy a secret from Lucy so she wouldn't drive them crazy wondering when they'd bring the puppy home but she was starting to wonder if she'd have a bigger problem with Danny about it. He was almost like a kid at Christmas about it. "Yeah, that would be nice."

It wasn't much longer before Danny pulled up outside the lab to drop Lindsay off before heading to the courthouse. Lindsay leaned over and gave him a kiss and reminded him to focus more on his own testimony than what might be going on with her. He promised and she stepped out of the Avalanche. Before closing the door, she looked at him intently. "You trust me, don't you?"

He gave her an odd look but smiled. "What are ya talkin' about? Of course I trust you. You're gonna do fine and I'm gonna do everything to make sure I'm there for you. More importantly, I love you, Babe. I'll see you soon."

She closed the door and waited until he pulled off before heading into the building. The elevator ride up to the 35th floor seemed excruciatingly long but finally the car stopped and the door opened to the lab. She stepped out and started toward Mac's office. She pasted on what she hoped would be a friendly confident smile that would fool anyone who passed her. She paused outside Mac's office and knocked softly.

He looked up from a file he'd been reading and motioned her in. He stood up and offered her a hug as she entered the office. "I trust Danny is actually on his way to court."

She nodded. "He's not happy about it but he's going. I won't make any guarantees that he's not going to be slapped with a contempt charge if things get delayed there. Mac, do we have a few minutes before we head to the federal court building? There's someone I need to talk to you about."

He nodded and led her over to his couch where he sat down beside her. He needed to discuss things with her as well but he didn't want to do that before the hearing. He gave her an appraising look, realizing she seemed nervous. Not that he could blame her after what happened the last time she'd appeared in the courtroom with Atwood present.

"What's going on, Lindsay?"

"Did you know that I had to try four times to pass my qualifications to carry a firearm?" Her question caught him completely off guard. He'd gone over her personnel file with a fine tooth comb when he first hired her. He'd been impressed by her evaluations from her supervisors and had empathized with the tragedy from her teenage years. There hadn't been anything in there about her struggling on her firearms qualification. Without giving him a chance to answer, she continued her explanation.

"At first I think it had a lot to do with the diner shooting. Every shot I heard took me back to that night and how helpless I felt. So whenever I stood there and tried to take a shot I would tense up and therefore I'd miss the mark almost every time. Later I got so flustered at not passing that it became a block for me. I wasn't sure I was ever going to pass; I was almost ready to give up my dream of being a CSI and resign myself to being a lab tech for the rest of my life."

Mac still didn't say anything, though he was surprised at what he was hearing. He could tell she had more that she needed to say. He did reach over and give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Ultimately I realized that my dream of being a CSI had to be more important than my fears and somehow I passed the qualification. Even after that I've never been really comfortable with guns. I don't think I ever will be. Sometimes I think it's better that I'm not completely at ease with them; the police chief back in Bozeman would laughingly tell me that I was one person he didn't have to worry about being trigger happy in a dangerous situation but that I was going to keep my co-workers safe if the situation called for it."

Mac wondered if she'd somehow found out about Sinclair's demands. The only one he'd told was Flack and he didn't see the detective running to tell them but he couldn't be sure. "Lindsay, why are you telling me this now? That was almost ten years ago."

As a way of answering she reached down and unbuckled her holster and held it out to Mac. He didn't immediately reach out and take it from her even though he knew he'd been planning on asking for it later. He looked at her. "Lindsay?"

She stared at him with dry eyes. "I froze the other day at the crime scene. The officers had the situation under control and it was only a moment; I don't know that anyone else noticed, but I noticed. It wasn't about Wiloxcie grabbing me but the sound of the shots being fired. I'm sorry, I should have told you immediately but I think I momentarily convinced myself that it meant nothing. The reaction didn't even begin to compare to when I heard a car backfiring at the park the day after I got home from the hospital. Danny thought maybe I just needed to reaclimate myself to the sound of a gun being fired so he took me to the range yesterday. To say it was a disastrous experience would be an understatement; not only did the sounds practically send me into a panic attack, I couldn't have hit the broadside of a barn with a cannon. Danny still tried to tell me not to worry about it; that I just needed more time and practice to get my nerve back."

Just when Mac thought Danny had gotten past some of his maverick ways, he goes and shows that he still had some of the same tendencies to try to work things out himself. He couldn't really blame him this time. He was sure that Danny was thinking about what kind of effect any kind of official inquiry could have on Lindsay's career, especially her chances of promotion. The fact that Lindsay was sitting in his office handing him her gun suggested that she didn't share that concern. He took the offered weapon and set it in his lap. "What are you wanting me to do with this?"

"I want you to hold on to it until I prove to myself and to you that I'm ready to wear it again. I know Danny is right and that it's just something I have to get past but I don't feel comfortable wearing it until I do. I realize that by doing this I'm forcing you to put something in my personnel record and that it could have repercussions when it comes time for promotions but I'd rather risk that than have something happen on a scene because I either freeze up or make a bad shot. If I go to a scene with that strapped to my waist it tells people that I have their back and right now, I can't guarantee that. I have no business wearing my gun until I can."

Mac realized he wasn't going to be able to wait until after the hearing to have this discussion. "I know about the incident at the crime scene and what happened at the range. Sinclair agrees with your assessment. He ordered me to take your weapon from you until you pass a re-qualification test. He has some other edicts as well. I want you to know that I don't like this…"

"I don't like it either." Lindsay agreed. "But you know it's right. The safety and the integrity of the lab should always come first. Isn't that what you always tell us? No matter how much you care for us personally, the lab always has to come first. You usually don't have problems with making the hard decisions. So are you fighting this because you are worried about hurting my feelings or because you hate it when Sinclair forces your hand on something?"

Mac smiled, knowing she knew him too well. He stood, setting her weapon on the corner of his desk. He pointed to it. "You are going to have that back in no time."

She nodded. "Damn straight I will. I guess we need to head to the courthouse now. Along the way, you can tell me about those other 'edicts' Sinclair has for me."

Mac shook his head. "That can wait until after the hearing is over. You've got enough on your plate for now."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

They arrived at the courthouse with time to spare. After talking to Mac, Lindsay felt better about her decision to turn over her weapon. She wished she'd done so before it had caused problems between Mac and Sinclair. She had no doubt that if Mac had gotten whatever report he'd been given or if she had done the right thing to start off with, he wouldn't have hesitated to take her weapon. However, Mac was also fiercely protective of his people as well. He could fuss at them all he needed to, but he wouldn't let anyone else, not even Sinclair, badmouth any of them. She wasn't sure what other "edicts" as Mac called them Sinclair had for her but she trusted that Mac would make sure that it was fair.

Now her thoughts could turn to the actual testimony she was about to give. Despite her earlier reassurances to Danny that she was fine with the trial, she had to admit her nervousness was growing the closer she got to the courtroom. She wanted to pretend that her attacker had no more power over her but the truth was she wasn't sure she'd ever totally get past the fears even if they had lessened. It didn't help that reporters descended upon them as soon as they started up the stairs to the courthouse. Though she had avoided most of their questions during the initial trial, they easily recognized her now.

"Detective Messer, are you hoping that the jury gives John Atwood the death penalty?"

"How do you respond to the defenses motion that Atwood be allowed to serve his time in a mental hospital?"

"The defense claims that Atwood was abused during his initial incarceration and that this led him to the violence he showed you and his other victims. Isn't it cruel and unusual punishment to send him right back into that same situation?"

There were too many people and too many bright lights of cameras closing in on her and she turned into Mac's strong and comforting embrace and he stressed there would be no comment and pushed her through the masses of reporters. By the time they were inside the courthouse and away from the range of the reporters, Lindsay was shaking. He gave her a comforting hug.

"Damn piranhas. I know they have a job to do but I just wish they didn't do it so enthusiastically. You okay?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, I guess I should have expected that they would be out there. Not everyday a federal case of this magnitude hits the newsfeed. Just give me a minute and I'll be fine."

"We're early, take all the time you need. Want me to get you some coffee or some juice?"

Lindsay nodded and smiled her thanks. "Coffee would be great."

He led her to some chairs and then went to find coffee. He hadn't been gone two minutes when the federal prosecutor came up and saw her sitting there. "Detective Messer, I'm surprised to see you here alone. I figured your husband will be with you."

"He's testifying on another case this morning. Bad timing. Mac Taylor is here with me; he just went to get me some coffee to help settle my nerves after the reporters outside."

He sat down beside her. "Sorry, I should have warn you they would be out there. Interest in the sentencing has increased now that several human interests groups have become vocal over the case."

Lindsay shook her head. "I've avoided watching or reading any coverage on the case. What human interest groups? What are they protesting?"

"Two different ones. One group always comes out to protest that the death penalty is cruel and inhumane. The other is a group that is protesting the treatment of prisoners at the hands of guards and other inmates. Neither want him put to death but the second group doesn't even think he should go to prison after the story of his rape by the guard came out. I wouldn't worry about it though. If it comes down between listening to what Atwood's lawyer wants and the desires of the families of his victims and his actual victims; I think the jury is going to side with you. I'll see you inside."

He left as Mac returned with two Styrofoam cups of milk. He handed one to Lindsay who was staring at the retreating figure of the attorney. She accepted it but was chewing on her bottom lip rather than drinking. Finally she looked up at Mac.

"I can't do this Mac. I thought I could but I can't."

He sat down beside her and put his free hand around her thin shoulders. "It's okay to be nervous. You've already done the hard part…"

She shook her head. "What if they ask me what sentence I want for him? The prosecutor was just telling me that he thinks the jury will listen to what the victims want."

Mac could tell this was really worrying her. She was close to working herself up into a full panic attack. As cops, their jobs were to simply to enforce the law and arrest those who chose to break them. After that their job ended with the exception of sometimes being called in to speak for the evidence they uncovered during trial. Almost never did they have to concern themselves with the sentencing of a suspect. Their job was done long before it reached that point. "Just be honest. No one expects any less."

"But I don't know what I want. I can't answer a question that I don't know the answer to. Part of me says put him to death in the most painful way possible, bring him back to life and then kill him again even more painfully. God, that sounds so vindictive saying it out loud."

Mac shook his head. "What he did to you or tried to do to you was inhuman and unconscionable; I think you are entitled to your feelings. So what about the other part of you?"

Lindsay sighed. "That death is too good for him; that he deserves to rot in some 6 x 8 jail cell reliving everything every horrible moment of his miserable life. Besides, I'm afraid this will never be over if he gets the death penalty. He'll get so many appeals before they actually put him to death and I'll have to testify at each and every one of them. Maybe it would get easier each time but I'd never get to leave what happened to me in the past. I don't know if I can do that. I'm pretty messed up aren't I?"

Mac smiled pulling her close. "Not even close. Just be honest, maybe not quite as graphically so with the jury, but I think they would understand if you have doubts. This decision should not and does not rest solely on your shoulders. Just remember that."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

By the time court was called into session, Lindsay had, at least for outwardly appearances, gotten her emotions under control. Inwardly was another story as Lindsay forced herself to stare straight ahead with her head held high and her back straight. She had purposely sat on Mac's right side when they came into the courthouse knowing that would put him between her and John Atwood when he was brought into the courtroom. He was heavily shackled when he was brought in and as he sat down his eyes never left Lindsay. It was almost as if he was hoping to intimidate her enough to force her out of the courtroom. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. Mac's hand was firmly grasping hers and she took strength from his grip. She was torn between an intense need to have Danny's arm around her and his voice whispering reassurances in her eye and the knowledge that his anger at the rapist's gaze would be unmistakably uncontrollable. She knew Danny was aggravated from his repeated text messages. Despite the DA's assurances that he would get to him right away, different things from the defense attorney had delayed the start of the O'Shannesy trial. The last message she'd gotten was fifteen minutes earlier that he thought he was about to be called to the stand at last.

During the opening statements, the federal prosecutor made it clear that he wanted the jury to sentence Atwood to the death penalty. He reminded the jury of all the people who had not only died at Atwood's hands but of how viciously they had died. In contrast, the defense attorney had urged the jury to have sympathy on his client. He claimed that Atwood's vicious nature had been a product of abuse he'd suffered in prison and needed psychological help rather than a senseless death.

The prosecutor had already called several family members of victims of the earlier robberies. They testified to the emotional impact the loss of their family member had had on their lives. Their testimonies had been emotionally difficult to hear and Lindsay couldn't help but be grateful that Danny and Lucy weren't here having to testify what the loss of her own life had caused the family. Each expressed a desire to see Atwood receive the harshest sentence possible to pay for him many crimes. Next he had called his own medical expert who testified that even if some of Atwood's actions bordered on mental illness it wouldn't be something that he could receive medical treatment for. In essence, he testified that Atwood wasn't "curable." The defense attorney had declined to cross examine the expert witness and had limited his cross of the family members to just one question - would putting Atwood to death bring back their family member?

"Your honor, I now call Detective Lindsay Messer to the stand."


	60. Chapter 59

Author's Notes: So sorry for the incredibly long delay. I was running into a little bit of a block of what was going to happen and then I had a conference for school that took me out of town for a week and then other meetings for school. I hope this chapter is worth the wait.

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 59<p>

"No further questions, Your Honor." The federal prosecutor flashed Lindsay a reassuring smile before sitting down. The defense attorney appeared to be in a heated discussion with Atwood, so Lindsay used the break in testimony to take a deep breath. The prosecutor's questions hadn't been as difficult as the original questioning had been but it was still difficult. He'd wanted to know more about how her life had been changed due to what happened to her. It was a tricky landmine for Lindsay to answer. She knew the prosecutor wanted the jury to see how much Atwood deserved to pay for his crimes and really wanted her to outline just how painful her recovery had been. But her stomach did flip-flops at the thought of telling of her struggles with Atwood listening. She knew he would enjoy hearing about her suffering and she didn't want to give him that pleasure. Giving the prosecutor what he wanted meant giving Atwood what he wanted as well and she had trouble deciding if it was worth it.

On the other hand, she was proud of the strides she'd taken in her recovery. She knew she wasn't fully over what happened; the conversation with Mac earlier that morning had confirmed that, but she was doing so much better than she'd ever thought she'd be during those first days after her rescue. Atwood had taunted her during her captivity that he and what he was doing to her would haunt her relationship with Danny. She wanted to see his face fall when she related that her life wasn't crushed and destroyed because of what she had endured at Atwood's hands. But doing that could hurt the prosecutor's case for the death penalty. As she had started her testimony she had struggled with that inner battle.

In the end, she'd kept her answers pretty middle of the road. She didn't go into details about the hardships she was still having but didn't out and out gloat that she was okay either. Almost as if he recognized her conundrum, the prosecutor hadn't pressed for more details. Then he'd asked the question she'd feared when she and Mac had first entered the building that morning.

"_What do you want to see happen to John Atwood?"_

_She'd taken a deep breath, remembering Mac's advice to just be honest. "Ideally, I want him to realize the pain and anguish he's caused and feel remorse for what he did. I want for all the victims and their families not to have to endure any more pain. I know that's not likely to happen but that's what I want. So I just want everything to be over. I want to walk out of here and never have to hear his name or see his face again."_

_The prosecutor hadn't looked all that pleased with her statement but didn't push for more. Lindsay had spared a brief glance at the jury and the female members at least seemed to be nodding their heads in agreement with what she said but she wasn't sure what that was suppose to mean. _

After that the prosecutor had quickly ended his questioning which led to Lindsay now sitting there waiting for the defense attorney to stand. The argument he was apparently having with Atwood seemed to be getting more and more heated. The judge looked at them unhappy with the delay. "Do you have questions for this witness or can I excuse her?"

The defense attorney looked at the judge. "Permission to approach, Your Honor?"

She nodded and both attorneys joined her at the bench. She leaned over so that the conversation wouldn't be heard by the rest of the court. "What seems to be the problem, Counselor?"

"My client wishes to question Detective Messer himself. I've tried to talk him out of it but he's rather insistent."

The federal prosecutor looked livid. "Your Honor, you can't allow that. It's obvious he's just trying to upset Detective Messer. Hasn't she been through enough?"

The defense attorney looked at him. "Do you think I want him to do this? Allowing him to question her is tantamount of asking the jury to give him the death penalty. I'd rather dismiss Detective Messer without asking her a single question than allow him to do the questioning but as I said he's pretty adamant. He has the right to confront the witness."

"What about her rights? Maybe during the regular trial you were too busy thinking about your next objection to really listen to what all he did to her…"

"That's enough, Counselors." The judge interrupted. "We apparently all three agree that it is a bad idea. What does Mr. Atwood hope to accomplish here?"

The defense attorney shook his head. "I don't know, Your Honor. I see no advantage to him questioning Detective Messer, only disadvantages. However, as much as I've tried to enlighten him of that fact, he doesn't seem to care."

The judge glanced over to where Lindsay was still sitting in the witness stand waiting for the trial to continue. The young detective seemed more composed this time around than she had before but would that continue if Atwood had his way? Then she turned her attention to where Atwood was sitting. The man was watching Lindsay intently, his expression unreadable. Suddenly, she had a feeling she knew his game. She narrowed her eyes at the defense attorney. "Are you sure you haven't encouraged him in this request? So help me, if this is some game you are playing…"

The defense attorney shook his head. "I swear to you that I have nothing to do with this request and that I'm totally against it."

"His shackles must stay on. If his questions become inappropriate I will put an immediate stop to this." The judge reluctantly acquiesced. The federal prosecutor looked shocked.

"Your Honor, you can't…"

"I don't have much choice. He does have the right to aid in his own defense. If I deny his request it will give him an automatic grounds for appeal. I don't like it any more than you do but I like the thought of giving him a ready made appeal even less. I'll be damned if I'm going to make it easy for him. Let's get this over with."

The defense attorney was the first to return to his client to give him the judge's stipulations. The federal prosecutor gave the judge once last pleading glance even though he knew her hands were tied and then he turned toward the witness stand. He leaned close to whisper a quick apology to Lindsay before returning to his seat.

Lindsay had no idea what the man was apologizing for until John Atwood stood up and shuffled in his shackles around the table. She couldn't help but feel her pulse quicken and her heart skip a beat as she remembered the last time she'd sat in the courtroom in his presence. His attack that day had been too sudden for her to even brace herself for it. If this was going to be another attack, this time she would be ready. She noticed that Mac had sat up a little straighter in his seat and looked ready to jump to her defense if the need arose. Since neither attorney nor the judge looked alarmed, Lindsay decided this must have something to do with what the talk at the bench was about.

"Detective Messer," That was a change, him not calling her Copper. She shuddered inwardly though just at the sound of his voice. "I couldn't help but notice that your husband isn't with you today. Was he unable to handle what happened to you?"

He took a step closer to the witness stand and Lindsay found herself wanting to retreat backwards. But instead, she forced herself to remain still. As much as she wished Danny was present in the courtroom, she was glad that he wasn't there to see Atwood this close to her. There was no way he would remain calmly in his seat while the man who had hurt her so much was being allowed to talk to her. Part of her wished that she hadn't turned her weapon over to Mac earlier that morning even though she wouldn't have been allowed to wear it into the courtroom. "On the contrary, he's been quite supportive. He had a conflicting court appearance for work and will be here shortly."

She tried to tell herself that Atwood doing the questioning was no different than if the defense attorney was doing it. She tried to ignore her shaking hands and her rapid heartbeat and especially that sudden sense of "fight or flight" that had come over and pretend that this was nothing to be worried about. She could answer his questions much the same way she'd treated her sessions with department shrink after the shooting of Shane Casey. She tried to tell herself that but inwardly she wasn't feeling too convinced.

If Atwood was disappointed in her answer, he didn't show it outwardly. After the two encounters he'd had with Copper's husband, he knew that the man was devoted to his wife and that even though it was killing him inside to know that someone had hurt his wife, he wasn't going anywhere. He nodded to Lindsay. "It's nice to have people who love you even when you feel dirty and unlovable, isn't it? You testified earlier that you were attending a support group in addition to counseling. Has that been helpful?"

Unconsciously, Lindsay ran her hands up and down her arms as if warding off a sudden chill. What did his questions have to do with anything? Was he simply enjoying seeing her uncomfortable? "Yes, it has."

Atwood nodded, once more taking a small shuffling step closer to her. He was still several feet away from her, not close enough to make anyone but her uncomfortable with his distance. "So you've had the support of family, friends, and professional counselors to help you deal with the aftermath of what happened to you. Do you think your recovery would have been harder if it had not been for that support?"

She shrugged. She could feel Mac's eyes boring into her, offering her support and strength in Danny's absence. She offered him just the briefest of smiles of thanks. She thought about what Mac had told her on the rooftop when she confided she wasn't sure if she was going to be okay after the Casey shooting and the corresponding conversation she'd had with him in the hospital after her rescue. "A friend once told me that I have a warrior's spirit that can't be broken. I would have been okay eventually without them but having people who loved and cared for me while I was recovering made it less scary and painful."

"How would you feel if you were forced to return to the warehouse where you were held captive. Would that feel threatening to you?"

In her mind she could still see the big room where she and the others were held captive in. Worse, she could clearly picture the smaller room he had dragged her to; the small cot, the nightstick, him undressing her and then himself. As her memory took her back to the moment that he had hurt her the worse, her heart began to beat even faster and her breathing came in almost painful gasps. She lowered her head so that he wasn't in her line of sight. Her admission was barely audible. "Yes."

He took a couple more steps closer to her. "You admit that you wouldn't want to go back to the place where you had been terribly hurt. And yet you are sitting there ready to have those twelve men and women send me right back to the place that holds that same fear for me. Does that seem fair to you?"

And then he closed the gap so that he was practically leaning on the railing that separated him and Lindsay. Despite her growing anxiety of having him so close to her, Lindsay lifted her head and stared him in the eye. There was no way she was going to let him see that he scared her. She'd be damned if she gave him that power over her again.

"Nobody deserves to be raped, not even you. But you going back to prison has nothing to do with me or the members of the jury. You made the choice to commit more crimes knowing what the consequence would be if you were caught. You have no one to blame but yourself."

Atwood shook his head, his eyes flashing fire. "I am not going back to jail."

Mac didn't like how close the man was getting to where Lindsay was sitting. He knew it had to be terrifying the young woman no matter how composed she seemed to be. He stood, ready to go to the federal prosecutor to get him to put a stop to the questioning or to petition the judge to do some himself if the attorney wouldn't. He'd barely made a couple of steps when something happened that caught everyone off guard.

Despite the fact that his hands were shackled together and then to his feet, Atwood managed to leap over the railing and crash into Lindsay taking them both the ground.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Danny loved his job. He really did. Testifying in court was one of those necessary duties of the job that he might not particular enjoy but didn't hate either. Most of the time at least. However, today had pushed him to the very limit. First he had spent almost two hours just waiting to be called to the stand. Had it not meant that a cold-blooded murderer could go free, Danny would have been tempted to walk out of the courtroom an hour into waiting. He had hoped when he was finally called to the stand that it would all be over soon. Indeed, the DA's questioning didn't last thirty minutes but the defense attorney had seemed content to try to question every piece of evidence they had collected and the cross examination had taken another hour.

Now that he'd finally been released from the trial, he was almost desperate to get to the federal courthouse to be there for Lindsay. He couldn't shake the fear that something would go wrong at Atwood's sentencing and that he wouldn't get there in time. He knew Lindsay could take care of herself and that Mac would be there to protect her if she ran into trouble. But still, he would feel much better when he was there himself. He sent her a quick text message to let her know that he was on his way. As he was putting away his cell phone, he bumped into a person who was just coming into the courthouse. He apologized to the man and was about to walk away when the man called him by name.

"Detective Messer? I'm surprised to see you here."

Danny looked at the man in confusion but then recognized him. It was the reporter that had leaked the story about the kidnappers grabbing a cop. What was he doing here?

Almost as if he read Danny's mind, Finn Bestly explained. "I'm on my way to Judge Hendrick's office to turn him my first community service report. I'm really surprised that you aren't at the federal courthouse." Seeing Danny's surprise, the man shrugged. "I'm not allowed to report the news; that doesn't mean I can't follow it."

"I'm heading there now. I had to testify at another hearing. If you'll excuse me…"

"Then you don't know what happened there?" It was clear that Danny had no idea what the former reporter was talking about so Finn continued. "I just received a tweet about it but I don't know any details. The federal courthouse is on lockdown. Something happened at the trial but no one is sure exactly what."

Without waiting for him to continue, Danny pushed past him and sprinted toward his truck with a growing fear in the pit of his stomach. He never should have testified today. He should have taken his chances turning the case over to someone else so that he could be there for Lindsay. He had told her earlier that if it came to choosing between work and her, she would win every time. However the first time he really was called to make that choice, he'd chosen work and he'd never forgive himself if something had happened to her.

As he drove, he tried to call both Lindsay and Mac but neither person answered their phone. Logically he knew that they would both have their phones on silent being in the courtroom but it did nothing to ease his concerns. There were plenty of patrol cars parked haphazardly outside the federal courthouse so he didn't feel bad about turning on the blue lights to the Avalanche and parked right in the middle of the street. Leaving the vehicle he raced up the stairs to the entrance only to find his way blocked by several gun-toting U.S. Marshals.

"I have to get in there. My wife is in one of the courtrooms."

One of the marshals shook his head. "I'm sorry sir. We have orders not to let anyone in. No exceptions."

Danny wanted to rush past them anyway. His wife was inside, possibly in danger, and these men were standing in his way. But before he resorted to force, he decided to try a little tact. He opened his jacket slightly so that his badge showed. "Look guys, I know you have a job to do but I'm one of the good guys; I'm with NYPD."

The marshals didn't look impressed. "NYPD is keeping the outside perimeter of the courthouse secure. The reporters and protesters who were gathered have been going crazy trying to get in when word came out that something had happened during the trial. You can help with that."

Danny practically growled. "Look, maybe I didn't make myself clear. My wife…"

"You were perfectly clear. Now let us be perfectly clear, no one is getting inside until we've been given the clearance from our commander. Now, please, step away from the door before we are forced to arrest you."

A hand grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the entrance. Danny was about to fight the intruder when he realized it was Flack. His best friend looked grim. "Danny, I tried to catch you at the courthouse but missed you."

"What's going on?" Danny pleaded for information.

Flack shook his head. "I don't know any details. The Marshals are being incredibly tight-lipped about everything. All I do know is that there was a disturbance inside the courtroom where Atwood's sentencing phase was going on. I don't know exactly what; I've tried to get in touch with Mac but he's not answering."

Danny could tell by the stricken expression on Flack's face that he knew at least a little bit more than what he was actually saying. "What aren't you telling me?"

Flack sighed. "They called for someone in the ME's office to come. Whatever happened in there, someone didn't survive it. I'm so sorry Danny. I don't know anything else."


	61. Chapter 60

Author's Notes: I promise I will get back to Gassed but after the cliffhanger I left, I thought it might be better to get another chapter of this story out first. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 60<p>

Danny stared at Flack, his heart refusing to beat properly. Someone inside the courtroom had died. Neither Mac nor Lindsay were answering their phones. The last time she'd been in a courtroom with Atwood, he'd done the unthinkable and jumped her. Had he tried the same thing again? How could the bailiffs let it happened? Weren't they paying attention? He broke his arm free from Flack and turned back to the entrance of the building. He didn't care if they wanted to stop him from entering; he had to get to Lindsay. They would either have to let him in or shoot at him as he rammed past them. Flack ran after him trying to stop him but unsuccessfully.

The marshals at the door all snapped to attention as they saw that Danny wasn't slowing down to the talk to them. They leveled their guns at him but Danny seemed to ignore the threat. The only thing that mattered to him was getting to Lindsay and finding out that she was okay.

"Sir, you have to stop. We've already told you that you can't come in here. Don't make us have to arrest you."

"My wife is in there and she could be hurt or worse. Damn it, there ain't enough of you to stop me from getting to her."

A new marshal was approaching, noticing the commotion at the door. "Are you Detective Danny Messer?"

His question had more of an effect of stopping Danny than the guns leveled on him had. "I am. My wife was testifying…"

"You've been cleared to enter. I'm to escort you to the judge's chamber." The marshal interrupted him. Before he could turn to lead the way, Flack held out his credentials. The tall detective was worried about what Danny would find and didn't want his best friend to go through it alone.

"Can I come with him?"

The marshal nodded and led the way. The two officers followed him and as Danny walked, he kept up an internal dialogue trying to convince himself that Lindsay was okay. Part of him wanted to ask the marshal what had happened but didn't want to know the truth until he could see Lindsay for himself. He was glad when the marshal avoided the elevator and took the stairs. Danny didn't think he could handle being confined in the small space that would seem to be moving at an impossibly slow speed. Even at that, it seemed to take forever to reach the judge's chamber.

The marshal knocked sharply on the door before opening it and letting the two men inside. As soon as the door opened Danny rushed inside looking around frantically for Lindsay. Mac, who was sitting next to a huddled figure on a couch, rose as Danny entered. Danny only barely registered the fact that the older man had three long scratches on the side of his face as if someone had tried to claw him. Instead his attention was riveted on the person Mac had been sitting beside.

Lindsay was lying on her right side facing the couch so he couldn't see her face but he could easily make out the trembling in her body that eased his fears that she had been the one to die in the courtroom. But then he noticed the blood that coated and stained the back of her pale green silk blouse up to the back of her neck. There was too much blood there for her to be okay. His heart began to hammer once again as he took several faltering steps toward her. Mac stopped him before he could get close to her, his arms strong and comforting.

"She's okay, Danny. It's not her blood. She's just a little out of it right now but she's fine."

Danny looked at Mac seeing the same reassurance in the man's face that his words were offering. There was something in his boss's eyes that held an uncertainty that Danny couldn't place that worried the younger man. "Promise?"

Mac nodded and released Danny. The younger man knelt beside her, his hands hovering over her. He was almost scared to touch her despite Mac's assurances that she wasn't hurt. Her eyes were suspiciously dry but full of fear. She was staring at the back of the couch, blinking almost unnaturally slowly. It was clear to him that she wasn't really seeing what was before her; it was like she was locked into a nightmare and he was almost positive he knew exactly what that nightmare was.

"Linds? Babe?" He made sure his voice was gentle as he tried to pour all the love he could into those two short words. They had the desired effect because Lindsay almost immediately twisted on the couch turning toward him. Without any more hesitation, he gathered her gently in his arms pulling her to him. There was blood crusted on her right ear but he couldn't tell right then if it was her blood or just more of what was staining her clothes. Mac had assured him that she was okay so he didn't dwell on the bloody ear. With one hand almost desperately tangling itself into her hair, he buried his head into the space created between her head and shoulder, breathing in her scent. Safe in his arms, she broke down, giving into the terrified sobs she'd been suppressing since Atwood jumped the railing. It broke his heart to hear her so upset and knowing that once again, he hadn't been there when she was in trouble. He silently cursed the attorneys that had prevented him from being there. "It's okay, Babe. I got you. Let it all out."

As Danny comforted his wife, Flack approached Mac. He winced at the scratches he saw on Mac's face. Knowing that Danny's focus had been solely on making sure Lindsay was okay, Flack asked the question foremost on his mind. "What happened?"

Mac sighed. He'd been in the courtroom as everything happened and he wasn't sure he understood any of it. "I think he had it all planned from the moment he entered the courtroom. He insisted on questioning Lindsay. Nobody liked the idea, not even his own attorney, but I think the judge was worried about giving him a reason to appeal. I thought he wanted to question her just to add to her torment. I was worried about her but at the same time I was proud of her as well. Only someone who knew her really well would have had any idea of how much he was getting to her. She was handling the testimony very well but I knew it was getting increasingly harder for her. I was about to try to put a stop to it when he made his move."

Flack glanced over at Lindsay who was clutching at Danny as if he were the only thing holding her together. She didn't appear injured, only traumatized. Mac also seemed to be struggling with what happened and that wasn't characteristic of the strong head of the crime lab. "What did he do?"

Mac's voice took a haunted note as he was drawn back to that moment in the courtroom when Atwood made his move. He began to relate the events to Flack. "He was getting closer and closer to her. Again, I thought he was just getting off on making her uncomfortable.

_Despite the fact that his hands were shackled together and then to his feet, Atwood managed to leap over the railing and crash into Lindsay taking them both the ground. As they hit the ground he brought his shackled hands over her head so that the crook of his arm was pressing against the base of her neck. He whispered something in her ear but it wasn't loud enough for Mac to hear. The two bailiffs in the room reacted immediately as the murderer hit the ground with his victim. They both fired their tasers at the same time hoping to incapacitate Atwood. Atwood shifted trying to avoid the probes that would send the electricity into his body. As a result, one set of probes hit Lindsay in the upper part of her left arm but the other bailiff's shot appeared to go between Lindsay and Atwood to hit its mark. _

_Mac was coming through the gate as soon as Atwood started to jump the railing. As the rapist pulled Lindsay down, Mac caught a glimpse of something metallic in the other man's hand. "He's got a weapon." He warned the bailiff's as they discharged the electricity to the taser probes. As much as he wanted to pull Lindsay from Atwood's grasp, he couldn't jeopardize her safety as long as Atwood had a weapon in his hand._

_Both Lindsay and Atwood screamed as the electricity from the taser coursed into their bodies. Atwood's teeth clamped down on the lobe of Lindsay's right ear, cutting off the sound of his scream and his arm over her neck tightened. The bailiff that had accidentally hit Lindsay with the probes released the trigger on the taser and cut off the electricity going into her but the other bailiff continued to depress the trigger since his was the only one actually affecting Atwood. _

_Mac was behind the witness stand ready to extract Lindsay from Atwood's grasp as soon as it was safe to do so. From his angle he could see the hand that was holding the possible weapon was still threateningly pinned between the back of Lindsay's neck and Atwood's body. To his horror, blood was quickly spreading from the same area. Too much blood for a person to survive losing unless they had immediate medical help. He reached underneath her, hoping that Atwood was incapacitated enough not to cause her further harm as he pulled her to safety. As he grabbed her, his fingers came into contact with a thin wire and he felt an immediate sting of electricity almost strong enough to bring him to his knees. It was then that he realized the second set of probes hadn't hit Atwood either. What had caused Atwood to scream if it wasn't the taser blast?_

"_Stop the tazer. All four probes hit Lindsay." The electricity immediately stopped but sharp nails raked across his cheek as he yanked the probes from her body. Lindsay, not seeming to be completely aware of what was going on, was fighting against his hands on her. Though his cheek stung and he could feel the scratches her nails had caused, he was almost glad of the injury because she was fighting too strongly to have lost as much blood as he had seen. He spoke reassurances to her but wasn't sure if she was even aware of his presence. Atwood wasn't fighting back and Mac had no trouble prying the man's mouth open to release his hold on Lindsay's ear. Removing the arm around her neck was a little more difficult. Atwood didn't fight him; indeed now that Mac took a good look at the lifeless expression in the other man's eyes, he realized the man was dead though he couldn't be sure just yet how. Instead, even in death, Atwood's muscles had continued to stay contracted against Lindsay's throat, the same type of cadaveric spasm seen when a person dies holding tightly to an object. One of the bailiffs crouched by his side to help. While the bailiff lifted the man's arm, Mac eased Lindsay out from under his grasp. _

_He held her close, despite the fact that she was weakly struggling against him. He wasn't sure how much of her disorientation was from the taser blasts or from the attack itself but he didn't protest her struggles. Instead he spoke calm reassurances to her as he ran his hand on the back of her neck. The blood he felt didn't seem to be coming from any wounds on her. He looked back at where Atwood's body lay. The convicted rapist/murderer had a jagged cut across his throat. The man had apparently used the weapon Mac had seen in his hands to cut his own throat. The scream he had emitted must have been from the pain of cutting himself with the makeshift shank._

_Unable to muster any sympathy for the man who had tormented his friends' lives, Mac turned his attention to Lindsay. The young woman was still struggling in his arms but with the exception of the stinging scratches on his cheek, she lacked the strength to cause any damage. _

"She hasn't said a word since the attack." Mac finished his story to Flack. "The judge quickly sealed off the courtroom until the marshals could question everyone. The jury was sent to the jury room and the judge recommended that I bring Lindsay in here so she wouldn't have to keep seeing Atwood's body. As soon as I put her on the couch she turned her back to me and has just been lying there until the two of you came in."

Flack nodded. He wasn't upset that Atwood was dead but he hated that Lindsay had to suffer once more. He looked to where Danny was holding Lindsay close. The young woman was still trembling but her sobs had quieted to weepy tears. Her hands had a tight grip on Danny's shirt as if she were afraid that if she loosened her grip he would disappear. For his part, Danny seemed to have blocked out everyone in the room with the exception of the woman in his arms. Flack didn't think his best friend would be able to let Lindsay go even if she wasn't holding on to him like her life depended on it.

"Should we take her to the hospital to be checked out?"

Mac shrugged. "A medic gave her a cursory examination but she wasn't having much to do with it given the circumstances. With the exception to the bite on her ear, she doesn't have any injuries they can treat. Somehow I think she's currently getting the best treatment that she needs."

Flack gave Mac a curious glance; he could tell something was bothering the older man and he wondered if Mac was worrying about Sinclair's order to take Lindsay's gun and how the young couple would take it after what just happened or if there was more to the attack that he hadn't said. "What's bugging you?"

Mac led him to the other side of the chamber where he was sure neither Danny nor Lindsay would hear what he had to ask. He almost felt traitorous asking the question but couldn't stop himself after what he'd seen. "The other day when Wiloxcie attacked Lindsay, did he grab her by the arms at any time? I don't remember there being anything in the report about it."

Flack shook his head, not sure what Mac's questions were all about. "Not that I know of. When he picked her up and threw her on me he grabbed her coveralls. Before that he had an arm across her chest. Her gun was drawn so it doesn't seem likely he had her by the arms. Why?"

Mac turned his attention back to the young couple. He believed he knew them better than they knew themselves but he was at a loss to explain the handprint bruise the medic had found when he pushed Lindsay's sleeve up to check the site where one set of the taser probes had hit her. Even the medic had commented on it, asking whether she could have gotten the bruise in the courtroom during Atwood's attack. But Mac knew the science of bruises well enough to know that the one on her arm and the matching one he suspected she had on the other arm were a couple of days old. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but he couldn't help but worry about the young woman who had already been through so much. He knew Danny would never hurt Lindsay but someone had and he couldn't just ignore the evidence that had been shown to him. Still, he didn't want to bring Flack in on it until he knew more. There was no sense in alarming too many people until he knew the truth. "Just double checking what I read in the report."

The judge approached Mac. "John Atwood's body has been taken to the morgue and the marshals are starting to let the people in the courtroom leave. From what I've been told, the crowd of reporters outside have grown even bigger with the news that something happened in the courtroom. Detective Messer doesn't need that aggravation on top of everything else. One of the marshals will go with on of you to your vehicle and direct you to the underground garage where I and the other judges get to park. There will be no reporters down there and you can take the elevator straight down."

Mac thanked the judge and Flack offered to go with the marshal to retrieve Danny's Avalanche from the middle of the road where he'd left it upon his arrival to the courthouse. After the detective left, Mac returned to Danny and Lindsay to see that the latter had fallen into an uneasy slumber in the former's arm. Danny, for his part and risen to sit on the couch holding Lindsay close to his body. Despite the fact that she was asleep, she hadn't released her death grip on Danny's shirt. As Mac sat down beside him, Danny glanced his way, his eyes red rimmed from the worry and then the pain of what had happened to Lindsay. Despite the attention he had been giving his wife at the time, he'd heard Mac's account of what had happened.

"I don't understand, Mac. If he wanted to kill himself to keep from going to prison, fine, I can understand his thinking. But why go through all this trouble, putting Lindsay through it?"

Mac shook his head. "I think as much as he wanted to make sure he didn't go back to prison, he wanted to have one last attempt to hurt her as well. How is she?"

Danny shrugged. "I think it's just the shock of everything. I never could get her to say anything to me. She just cried herself to sleep. I know you've been very lenient with us about taking time off and I have no right to ask…"

"If you show your face at the lab any more today, I'll fire you immediately." Mac informed him before Danny could finish the statement. The younger man flashed him a grateful smile and then planted a soft kiss in Lindsay's hair. Mac felt bad for the couple but at the same time proud. They had been through more than any one couple should ever had to go through but things that should have or could have torn apart the strongest of couples had only made them stronger.

"Thank you for being there for her when I couldn't. I hate that I wasn't here when she needed me but at the same time I don't know that I would have been able to handle being here and not being able to prevent it from happening. I can't lie. I'm glad he's dead but I'm glad that he took his own life so no one has to worry about whether they felt guilty about killing him. I guess that's not the best thing to admit as a cop."

"I feel the same way." Mac admitted. He thought about Lindsay's admission in court that she wanted to never have to see Atwood's face again. At least that part of her wish was coming true.

"Detective Taylor, your ride is waiting downstairs." A marshal informed them. Danny stood, Lindsay safely ensconced in his arms, and followed Mac and the marshal out to the hallway to an awaiting elevator. He wasn't sure what he was going to do once they reached the Avalanche. She was holding on to him so tightly, he didn't think he'd be able to set her down in the seat without him even if he was ready to release her. In the end, once they reached the awaiting vehicle, he climbed into the back seat still holding her tightly. The look on his face dared either Flack or Mac to protest. Neither man did.

Flack sensed that Mac wanted to be the one to drive the couple home so he relinquished the driver's seat to the older man and promised to check on them later. He also promised to let everyone at the lab know that she was okay. Mac climbed into the driver's seat and pulled out of the garage. As he drove, he kept glancing in the rearview mirror at the young couple. At one point, he saw Danny tenderly reach up to lightly touch the bite mark on her earlobe. Lindsay whimpered at the contact and squirmed away from the touch but didn't wake up. Danny whispered a quick apology and tightened his embrace.

It didn't take long before Mac pulled up at their apartment building. He followed Danny up to the apartment to help open the doors since Danny's arms were full. Entering the apartment, Danny crossed to the couch and tried to lay Lindsay down. He wasn't ready to release her any more now than he'd been at the courthouse but thought that maybe she'd be able to sleep better if she was completely lying down. As soon as he tried to release her however, she began to whimper once again and burrow her head into his chest. So instead he sat on the couch and continued to hold her. He rubbed his hand up and down her arms comfortingly not really paying attention to the fact that he was causing the sleeve of her blouse to ride up as he did.

Mac had followed them into the apartment wondering how to ask the difficult questions he needed to ask or if he should put off what he knew he needed to do until they had more of a chance to recover from the morning's events. However as he watched Danny's hands on Lindsay's arms, he noticed that his suspicion of a similar bruise on her right arm was correct. Furthermore, he also noticed how perfectly Danny's hand covered the bruise whenever he rubbed past it, almost as if he'd been the one to put it there. He took a deep breath and blurted out the question before he lost his nerve.

"Danny, how did Lindsay get those bruises on her arms?"

The younger man lowered his eyes, looking for all the world like Lucy did when she was caught doing something she shouldn't. He couldn't meet Mac's gaze, didn't want to see the disappointment in his friend's eyes when he admitted the truth. "I put them there."

Though he'd just come to the unlikely realization of the same thing, Mac didn't lose his cool completely, sinking into the closest chair waiting for Danny to explain. Danny told him about the nightmare he had had two nights before and how he had pinned her down without realizing what he was doing when she woke him up from it. Tears filled his eyes as he couldn't bring himself to admit the rest of his transgression even though Lindsay had sworn that she didn't blame him for what had happened. He was ready for Mac to lower the boom on him, waiting for Mac to act in a father-like way in the absence of Lindsay's real father. He deserved it but at the same time felt the need to defend himself even if his actions were indefensible.

"I feel like shit about it Mac. If you don't believe me, go look at the bathroom mirror and you'll see how I reacted when I found out I had left marks on her. You can yell at me and be disappointed in me but it won't even come close to the way I feel about myself. Just promise me you'll get it out of your system now while Lindsay is still asleep and not bring it up to Lindsay later. She's going to feel bad enough when she wakes up and sees what she did to your face."

While he wasn't happy to hear Danny admit that he had been the one to hurt Lindsay, Mac understood the situation and wasn't upset or disappointed in the younger man. Besides he believed him when Danny said it wouldn't hold a candle to how he felt about himself. His last statement confused him. Lindsay hadn't even been aware of what she had done and then he realized than according to what Danny had told him, neither had he. He sighed. If Lindsay didn't blame him, and her current position clearly said she didn't, then why should he? He thought of that movie that Claire had always loved to watch and the famous quote from it.

"'Love means never having to say your sorry.'"

Danny shook his head. "Nah, I don't think it goes that far. Just because you love someone doesn't mean they have the right to hurt you without consequence. But I do think love means accepting that someone isn't perfect and being willing to forgive when mistakes are made."

Mac smiled, wondering if Danny realized how wise and mature he sounded. Was this the same man who had worried about whether he would make a good husband and father? Before he could say anything, however, Lindsay gave a slight whimper in Danny's arms and then slowly opened her eyes.

She looked around as if confused as to how she had gotten home. She looked up into Danny's eyes, his look reassuring her that she was okay. He leaned down and gave her a warm kiss, ignoring the fact that Mac was sitting right there.

"You okay now, Babe?" He held his breath wanting to hear her beautiful voice reassure him that she was okay. The fact that she wouldn't speak to him earlier had scared him perhaps more than hearing what had happened.

She nodded. She could almost still feel Atwood's arm around her neck, feel his breath as he whispered into her ear and the intense pain of both being shocked by the taser and the bite on her ear. She shuddered, remembering his whispered promise that he was never going back to jail again. "Please tell me he didn't get away again."

Danny held her close to him hoping his embrace would help to calm her trembling. "No, Babe, he didn't get away. Atwood is dead and he can't hurt you ever again. How are you feeling? Mac said you got hit pretty hard with a couple of taser blasts."

Lindsay could feel the stickiness at the back of her neck and wasn't sure what it was but had a sense that she wanted it gone. "I'm going to be okay. I think I need a shower. Do you mind?"

Her use of the future tense didn't go unnoticed by Danny. He realized that she wasn't okay right then but was acknowledging it was going to get better. He didn't blame her for wanting a shower to get rid of the blood and the sense of being held by the man who had hurt her so terribly. "Go ahead, Babe. Whatever you need. Do you want my help?"

She shook her head. "I won't be long." As she climbed off Danny's lap, she noticed Mac for the first time. Her gaze falling on the scratches on Mac's cheek. "Mac, what happened to you?"

He smiled at her. "Battle scars from the attack in the courtroom. Nothing to worry about." He didn't want to upset her by admitting that she had caused the wounds even if he didn't hold her responsible.

He waited until she had disappeared into the bedroom to take her shower before looking at Danny. He could wait until tomorrow to discuss what Sinclair wanted done; he only wanted to help the couple get past what had happened during the trial. "If you want, I could take care of Lucy tonight so Lindsay could have a quiet evening."

Danny shook his head. "I think Lindsay will need both Lucy and me with her tonight. But I don't want to leave Lindsay alone to go get her. Would you mind picking Lucy up from preschool and bringing her back here?"

Mac promised and as he started to leave the apartment, he felt the need to offer Danny his own probably much needed reassurance. "Atwood is dead Danny. The worst is really behind the two of you now. It's not going to be perfect right away but the real healing can now begin."

Without another word, Mac left. Alone in the living room and knowing Lindsay was safely in the next room taking a shower, Danny allowed himself to break down.


	62. Chapter 61

Author's Notes: I really hope you enjoy this chapter because I enjoyed the way it came together. It's a little on the long side but I really wanted to get to the last part in this chapter. FYI, I heard on the news that Tropical Storm Don has now formed in the Atlantic and is heading into the Gulf. It's expected to track more toward Texas but I'm sure that Stella is keeping an eye on it.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 61<p>

Lindsay stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Almost as an afterthought, she reached back and locked the door as well. Even as she did, she questioned the act; she and Danny never locked the other out of the bathroom, not even when they were dating. But for some reason she felt more secure with the door barred against anyone coming in on her including, for just this once, her husband. Her whole body felt like one giant ice cube and the trembling seem to acknowledge that feeling. She stepped to the counter to look in the cracked mirror. Her ear, which was throbbing with pain, was crusted with dried blood. She shuddered harder at the thought that Atwood had hurt her again. Needing to know what was sticky on her back, she picked up her hand mirror and turned so that she could see the reflection of her back in the smaller mirror. Her heart gave several hard beats as she stared at the blood that covered the top of her blouse and her neck. Things were incredibly fuzzy after the electrodes from the tasers had hit her but she knew that this was not her blood. Danny had said that Atwood had died; could it be his blood coating her right then?

Bile rose in her throat and she barely stumbled to the toilet before the contents of her stomach expelled itself. Afterward, she swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. With shaky fingers she started to unbutton her blouse, desperate to be rid of any contact with the man who had hurt her even if was the blood he spilled as he died. When the buttons refused to cooperate, she gave the fabric a frantic yank, sending buttons scattering over the floor. She slipped out of the blouse and tossed it straight into the garbage can between the toilet and the counter. She never wanted to see it again. The rest of her clothes, she let fall in a heap at her feet as she shrugged out of them and stepped to the shower. Reaching inside she turned one tap of the water on full blast before stepping inside and closing the shower door.

The water started warm and then got hotter as it cascaded down over her shaking body. As the water heated up without any cold mixed in, it stung her skin like a thousand little needles pressing into her flesh but she ignore the pain as she let the water rain down on her. She turned her back to the shower head so that that the stream of water hit her upper neck at full pressure. The red of Atwood's blood mixed with the water and turned it pink as it collected in puddles at her feet. She closed her eyes so that she wouldn't have to see it. She covered her face with her hands as sobs once more wracked her small frame.

Why had they allowed him to question her? How could they have let him get close enough to her that he could pull another attack? Shouldn't they, shouldn't she, have seen it coming? She must have because she'd only been half surprised when he suddenly jumped over the railing taking her to the ground with him. His shackled hands had come over her head trapping the crook of his arm against her neck.

She turned again in the shower and tilted her head back so that the hot, almost scalding, spray hit her directly in the throat. She had to get rid of any trace of him he might have left on her.

"_You might have them and maybe even yourself fooled into thinking you are over me but I can feel the way your body is reacting to mine. I can make you two promises, Copper. One, you will never be free of me and two, I'll never spend another day in jail. I'll see you in hell, Copper."_

She could still feel his hot breath in her right ear as he whispered those words to her just before the probes pierced her arm and back. His scream almost exploded her eardrum before he had clamped down painfully on her earlobe with his teeth. Now she turned her head slightly so that her ear caught the brunt of the cascading water. The heat of the water against the fresh wound stung more than any other place had hurt but she ignored the pain.

With shaky hands she reached for her body wash so that she could squeeze a more than generous amount of the creamy liquid into her bath loofha. But the bottle slipped from her wet fingers and landed with a thud on the floor of the shower. With a strangled cry of frustration, Lindsay bent down to pick it up only for her knees to give out on her and send her crashing with a louder thud to join the bottle of body wash. She continued to sit where she had landed, drawing her knees up close to her body and sobbed as the water continued to pound into her reddening skin.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

After Mac left, Danny had allowed all his emotions that he'd been barely holding in check bubble to the surface. He buried his face in his hands. He'd been so worried when he had heard that something had happened at the courthouse and that worried had turned to pure terror when he arrived and Flack had told him that someone had died.

_It wasn't Lindsay. She's still alive and relatively uninjured. She might be terrified but they could get through that. _

The small thin strip of his mind that was still rational reminded him before he went completely off the deep end. But the part of him that had lost any sense of control even before he had dropped Lindsay off at the lab that morning couldn't help but argue back.

_But what if Atwood had used his makeshift weapon on Lindsay instead of or before he had used it to slit his own throat? Would they have been able to get help to her in time? Hell, they couldn't even manage to stun the right person. _

He couldn't get past the way she was trembling and sobbing in his arms after he'd finally gotten to the judge's chamber. The way she had clung so desperately to his shirt. It took him right back to right after she'd been rescued and been so affected by the drugs in her system and the fear and pain of the attack. She'd made such great progress in the weeks that had passed since then. Would this one event erase everything she'd worked so hard to achieve?

He heard a thud coming from the bathroom that sounded suspiciously like a body hitting the ground and jumped up from the couch. She's been so shaky when she got up, had she fallen while in the shower? He raced into the bathroom and turned the knob on the door only to find it locked. She had locked him out? When had she ever done that before?

He knocked on the door heavily, worried about her. "Lindsay, Babe? Are you okay in there?"

If she felt like she needed her privacy he was more than willing to give it to her but he had to know that she was okay first. When she didn't answer his pleading shout, he put his shoulder to the door and gave it a shove hard enough to pop the lock. He stepped into the bathroom to find that it was already incredibly steamy from the shower running. Through the steam he could see her crumpled body on the floor of the shower. The fact that he could see her rocking back and forth sobbing was the only thing that kept him from completely panicking. He crossed the bathroom and opened the shower door, not caring if water drenched him or the floor. The heat from the shower hit him before the first stinging water drops hit his skin.

"Geesh Linds, did you even turn any cold water on?" He reached in to turn off the water, cursing as it burned his skin. Kneeling beside Lindsay, he gently cupped her chin, making her look up at him. Her skin was red from the abuse of the hot water but her shaking only increased now that the water was off. "Baby, are you okay?"

"Cold." She said past chattering teeth. He knew it had to be the shock of what she'd been through because her skin was hot from the abuse it had taken from her attempt to shower. "Have to wash off his blood. I don't want him on me."

Tenderly, he gathered her in his arms and stood. He carried her over to the tub and set her inside before turning on the both taps. Recognizing that even though her body disagreed she was feeling chilled, he made sure that the water was still warm but not as hot as she had the shower. He pushed her wet locks from her face and gently caressed her cheek.

"It's okay sweetheart, I'll make sure all the blood is gone."

"Too cold." She repeated, her body still shivering. Danny was reminded of the night in the hospital that Lindsay had sneaked out of her room for a makeshift rain walk and had to warm up in the shower afterward. "Make it hotter."

"Un huh. It's warm enough, your poor skin can't take much more abuse. Just relax and let me take care of you." Danny soaped up a washcloth, thinking her heated skin needed something softer than her usual loofha and began to gently wash her skin. He spent the most time on her upper back, neck and hair knowing that's where Atwood's blood was. Once he had gotten rid of any trace of the earlier attack, he pressed his lips gently against her lips.

Once the kiss was broken, he rested his forehead against hers and stared into her eyes. He was glad to see that the expression in them was starting to return to normal even if her trembling hadn't abated. "You ready to get out and wrap up in a comfortable robe?"

Lindsay nodded and Danny helped lift her out of the tub. He helped her dry off and then handed her her thick bathrobe. He slid his arm around her waist as they left the bathroom and returned to their bedroom. He could hear Lucy's laughter in the other room and realized that Mac had returned from picking up the two-year old. In his worry over Lindsay, he'd completely forgotten that they were coming back and was glad that Mac had let himself in. He led Lindsay to the bed and she immediately pulled the covers back and curled up on her side.

Danny sighed. "Mac offered to take Lucy for the night if we wanted to be alone. Do you want me to take him up on his offer?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No, I want her here. I'm sorry, Danny. I don't mean to scare you, I just need a little time to not be okay."

Danny laid down beside her for a moment and pulled her close. "Take all the time you need, Sweetheart. I can stay in here and hold you or I can give you time alone if you'd rather have that."

A fat tear ran down her cheek. "Would it hurt your feelings if I just wanted to curl up in here by myself for a little bit?"

Danny tenderly brushed the tear away and gave her another soft kiss. "Not at all. Whatever you need right now. Can I at least take care of your ear first though? It looks painful and nasty. I don't want it to get infected."

Lindsay nodded and Danny returned to the bathroom to fetch the first aid kit. He came back and made short work of cleaning the wound and putting ointment and a small bandage over the bite mark. While he was working at that, Lindsay looked down at her hands. She was a little bothered to see something red under her fingernails. She chewed on her bottom lip. She couldn't remember anything that happened with Atwood that would have gotten his blood under her nails but then she remembered the scratches on Mac's face. She gripped Danny's arm as he was putting the medical supplies back into the box.

"Danny, those scratches on Mac's face. Did I do that?" Her eyes were so horrified that Danny thought about lying to her. But instead he sighed and nodded. Lindsay groaned and buried her face in her hands. How could she face her boss and friend knowing she'd hurt him. He was only trying to help her and that was how she repaid him? Seeing her distress, Danny pulled her hands down.

"Linds, it's okay. He knows you weren't aware of what you were doing. You were fighting against Atwood and he got in the way. He didn't want to upset you that's why he didn't say anything when you asked about it earlier. It's okay, Baby. Remember, we've talked about things like this and he doesn't hold you any more accountable for those scratches than you do me for those bruises on your arms. Okay?"

Slowly Lindsay nodded. Danny knew that she would still worry about what she'd done but she wasn't going to argue about it now. He leaned in and gave her another quick kiss. "Take all the time you need in here. I'll put you out a pair of sweatpants and one of my sweatshirts you love to still so much for you to put on when you are ready to join us. I love you Lindsay." The idea of a sweatshirt in this warm weather made him start to sweat just to think about but as cold as she seemed to be feeling from the shock, he knew she'd appreciate it.

She sniffled just a little. "Thanks. I love you too, Danny."

He made sure the covers were pulled up around her, set out the clothes he promised and quietly left the bedroom, pulling the door closed but not shutting it completely. He wanted to be able to hear Lindsay immediately if she needed him. As he returned to the living room, Lucy ran to him and threw her little arms around his legs.

"Daddy, Unc'a Mac got me from school. Where's Mommy?"

Danny scooped her up into his arms and gave her a tight hug, blowing raspberries on her cheek. He needed to hear her resulting giggles and more importantly he felt that Lindsay needed to hear them as well. There was just something about the sound of their little girl laughing that could cure a thousand ailments. "Mommy's taking a little nap right now. How about you go play in your room so I can talk to Uncle Mac for a little bit and then I'll come play with you. Okay?"

""tay Daddy." He set her back down on her feet and she ran off to her bedroom happily. Not for the first time, he was glad that as much as Lucy loved to have someone play with her, she could be happy entertaining herself just as much. He sank into the couch to find Mac watching him in concern.

"Lindsay okay?"

Danny shook his head, noticing almost with relief that in his absence Mac had cleaned the scratches that Lindsay had left him so they didn't look quite as bad. That would hopefully make Lindsay feel better when she finally left the bedroom. "I think it's just the shock of everything but I haven't seen her like this since right after we came home from the hospital. It tears me up to see her so upset and as much as I can support her and be there for her, in the end it's up to her to work through it."

"Today was difficult but she's tough and she's going to bounce back. With Atwood dead the trial is over and she doesn't have to worry about testifying or appeals or parole hearings or anything like that. With those worries behind her she can focus on her recovery and within no time everything at work will be back to normal as well."

Danny shifted uncomfortably at the mention of work. What was Mac getting at? Did he somehow know about her difficulties with her gun? Seeing Danny's confusion, Mac explained. "Lindsay turned her gun over to me this morning before the hearing. She told me what was going on and I'm glad she did. I was going to have to ask for it today anyway. Sinclair got reports that Lindsay froze at the scene the other day and that she had a mini meltdown at the shooting range. He ordered me to take her weapon until she can re-qualify and she's going to have to have a psych evaluation. She doesn't know about the evaluation yet; I didn't want to add to her stress until the trial was over."

Danny sighed. That's why Lindsay asked him in the truck this morning if he trusted her. Despite his encouragement to the contrary, she'd already planned to confess her difficulties to Mac and wanted to make sure Danny wouldn't be angry with her for doing so. He was worried about what it could do to her career but he couldn't be angry with her for doing what she believed to be right.

Mac continued. "I'm not worry about the gun issue. Lindsay is determined to get past this hurdle and I have confidence that's she's going to do it sooner rather than later. I'm not going to completely take her out of the field in the meantime. Obviously, she'll have to work with another CSI on all scenes but she's too good at what she does to chain her to the lab full time."

Danny was glad to hear that. Lindsay loved her job and he was afraid she would just get further depressed if she was limited in her job. Mac rose from his seat. "Now, I'm going to get out of here and let you take care of your family. Unless you need me to do something…"

"Please stay. I think Lindsay needs to see you here when she feels up to coming out. She realized that she's the one who scratched you and even though I tried to assure her that you don't blame her, I know she feels guilty. Lindsay put a roast and potatoes in the crock pot this morning before we left so there's plenty to eat if you stay for supper."

Mac nodded and sat back down. "If you're sure…"

"I'm sure." Danny stood up and grabbed a small box off a stack in the corner and handed it to Mac. The older man saw it was the game Memory. "You set that up and I'll grab Lucy from her room. I promised her I'd play with her when I finished talking to you and I know she'd enjoy playing a game with her two favorite men."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Despite the fact that Lucy was only two years old and her two opponents were grown men, she was well on her way to winning her third game in a row when Lindsay finally emerged from the bedroom. The little girl had just made a successful match when she looked up to see her beloved mother come into the living room dressed in the sweats and sweatshirt that Danny had left out for her. His sweatshirt swallowed her petite frame but it was one of the reasons she loved it so much. Lucy beamed and ran to greet her mother much the way she had Danny earlier.

"Mommy, I so glad you woke up." Lindsay lifted the little girl in her arms and gave a ghost of a smile as the little girl buried her head in her mother's neck.

"I love you, Lucy. What are you doing?"

"P'aying Mem'ry with Daddy and Unc'a Mac. You p'ay too?"

Danny had risen as well and wrapped his arms around his two girls, planting a kiss on Lindsay's cheek. His eyes sought out hers asking the silent question of how she was. Lindsay shrugged. She felt numb and still couldn't get the trembling under control. It made her feel weak that she was having such a large reaction to the events of the day but even that wasn't enough to be able to snap her completely out of it. Danny gave her another kiss. "How about you take my place in the game and I'll get supper on the table. Mac's going to join us. Okay?"

Lindsay nodded and carried Lucy back to the couch. Lucy immediately resumed the game as Mac stood and gave Lindsay a friendly hug. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes as she realized that Danny was right about Mac not blaming her for hurting him in the courtroom. She reached over and touched one of the scratches lightly. "I'm so sorry, Mac…"

"Stop, it's worth it to know that you were still willing to fight to protect yourself after everything that happened. I'm sorry I couldn't have gotten to you before…"

"Don't!" Lindsay practically shouted as a hard shudder ran down her spine. Then she lowered her voice as Lucy stopped playing to give her mother a confused and frightened look. "I don't want his name mentioned in my presence again. He's dead and I _am_ free of him."

Mac wondered at her words but didn't argue. The game continued in silence until Danny emerged from the kitchen to tell them supper was on the table. It was almost painful to watch the way Lindsay merely picked at her meal. Danny didn't push her knowing she needed this time inside of her head to deal with what had happened. Tomorrow would be soon enough to start intervening if she didn't start to snap back the way she should. He was starting to rethink Mac's offer to keep Lucy overnight despite Lindsay's insistence earlier that she wanted Lucy there. It was painfully obvious that Lindsay was far from okay and he wasn't sure it was fair to expect Lucy to understand that Mommy wasn't her usual sunny self. However he hadn't counted on the perceptiveness of his daughter.

After Lucy cleaned her plate, she climbed out of her seat and climbed up into Lindsay's lap. She laid her head on Lindsay's chest and looked up at her mother. "Mommy, we snugglies and watch a movie?"

So that's what they did. Mac offered to help Danny clean the kitchen as Lindsay and Lucy headed into the living room to choose a movie. After the kitchen was cleaned, Mac said goodnight to Danny, urged him to call at any time during the night if he needed him, and then left the apartment. Danny came into the living room to find his two girls snuggled together on the couch. Lucy's eyes were glued to the screen and she giggled at all her favorite parts but it was clear that Lindsay's focus was off into space rather than on the movie. He planted a kiss on Lindsay's head and then maneuvered them so that he was holding Lindsay who in turn was holding Lucy. They stayed that way for the rest of the movie.

Once the movie was over, Danny extracted himself from the couch and offered to get Lucy ready for bed. Lindsay nodded absently, still locked in her own private isolation. He returned after Lucy was down for the count and gathered Lindsay up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom. He settled on the bed with her still in his arms. His hand crept under the oversized sweatshirt and rubbed comforting circles in her back, hoping to relax her enough that she could find a peaceful sleep. She didn't seem interested in talking about anything that happened and once again, he wasn't going to push her into anything she wasn't ready for.

They sat like that for about an hour. He wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep or not but didn't want to move and wake her if she had. Suddenly she stiffened in his arms and he looked down wondering what was wrong.

"Damn it. What am I doing?" Her tone was angry and it startled him.

"Babe?"

She struggled out of his arms and climbed out of the bed and began to pace back and forth. "I'm such a stupid idiot. Why am I letting him get to me this way? I'm just playing into what he wanted." She stopped mid-pace and shot a glare in Danny's direction. "I was showing him. I was showing him that he didn't matter any more. That I was doing okay. Now look at me, I'm a mess. I'm right back where he had me captive. I don't want to be that person. I want the life I had before all this mess happened, the life I was just getting back before he pulls this crap. Damn it."

Her whole body was quivering but it was a different sort of tremble than what he'd been watching all afternoon. He recognized this pent up rage that had suddenly taken hold of her. It was almost as if she didn't find a way to release it and soon, she would almost explode. Finally he thought he could find a way to help her. He climbed out of bed and grabbed her hand leading her out of the room. She didn't protest but followed him down the hall to the spare bedroom. He flung open the closet where his punching bag was handing. He picked up his gloves that were lying on the floor and turned back to Lindsay.

"Now these will be big on you but it'll be better than nothing." He helped her into them and tightened them as much as he could as she just stared at him like he was crazy. Once he was satisfied he pointed to the bag. "Babe, I can see it in your eyes. You want to hit something until it hurts as much as you do. I know that kind of rage; it's the rage that's just about caused me to bust my knuckles just about beyond repair a time or two. Tonight, my bag is your bag. You make that bag be whoever or whatever you need it to be to get all that emotion out of you. You can pretend it's him-who-will-never-be-named-again and pound away at him for every moment of hell he's put your through. You can pretend it's Sinclair for not trusting your ability to do the job that you are so damn good at. Hell, you can even imagine that it's me if it'll make you feel better. I don't care but have at it. I think you'll find that it's actually a cathartic exercise."

For just a moment, she stared at him dumbly. She'd used a punching bag before but it wasn't something she really enjoyed, certainly not the way that Danny seemed to be able to lose himself in the activity. Still she appreciated the held he was trying to give her. Tentatively she reared back and gave the bag a soft punch. Danny stood behind her and kissed the base of her neck, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. Then he whispered in her ear.

"Don't hold back, Sweetheart. Hit it like you mean it. You can't hurt it and it's not going to hurt you." He stepped back as she took a more satisfying jab at the piece of equipment. He settled on the spare bed to watch her. He didn't want to intrude but he didn't want to leave her to deal with all of this alone.

At first her punches were awkward and some even missed completely. It was obvious that using a punching bag wasn't a normal activity for her but quickly she found herself giving into the rage that had settled over her. Her hits became more focused and harder. From his spot on the bed, he heard her began to mutter angrily and realized that she was indeed putting faces to the bag and was hitting with her words as well as her fists. He didn't listen to what she was saying; that kind of cathartic release didn't need an audience.

Lindsay felt herself get lost in her rage as she hammered the bag again and again. Whenever her arms started to get tired of swinging, she simply switched to steadying the bag with her hands and drawing her legs up to knee the bag wherever she could reach it. Nothing seemed to exist in the room anymore than her and the bag. She didn't even realize that Danny was in the room with her after she gave herself totally over to her anger.

For the next two hours Danny simply watched her as she unloaded on the bag. He had to admit that where she might lack in boxing skills, she more than made up for it in energy and fierceness. It was enough to convince him that he never wanted to be on the opposite side of her in a fist fight. Finally at long last she had strength neither in her arms or her legs to continue and she sank wearily to the floor.

Danny left the bed and went to her letting his body support hers as it was clear she didn't have the strength to support herself. He kissed her gently not caring that she was sweating heavily from the exertion. Quietly removing the gloves from her hands he looked down at her. "Feel better?"

She nodded wearily, returning his kiss with a faint one of her own. It was the best she could muster. She smiled, the smile more like her usual one. "Thank you."

"Any time. Come on let's get you into the shower before your muscles tense up." She started to protest that she didn't think she could move but he simply swung her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. He made quick work of removing the clothes both of them were wearing and then setting the water in the shower to warm. He stepped into the shower with her and allowed the water to wash over her tired body. Knowing she didn't have the energy to take care of the task herself, he bathed her off and then simply stood there letting the water work its magic on her muscles. Feeling that she was quickly falling asleep on him, he ended the shower and toweled them both off. Picking her up once more he carried her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed completely naked. "Are you still cold?" He asked gently wondering what to dress her in. She shook her head no so he pulled out one of her usual t-shirts and a pair of underwear. He pulled on his own boxers and then grabbed a bottle of his muscle liniment he used on himself when he worked himself too hard. He knew she was going to hurt in the morning but if it helped to release some of her demons then it would be worth it.

He turned on the bed so that she was lying on her stomach and massaged the liniment into her arms, back and upper legs, anywhere that he thought might cause her pain in the morning. She was sound asleep by now, worn out by both the physical and emotional energy she'd exerted. Once he was sure he'd done all he could do to ease the physical suffering she'd experience, he rolled her over on her back and dressed her in her t-shirt in panties.

He was pleased to see that her face was relaxed, maybe more relaxed than he'd seen it in a while. He climbed into bed beside her and pulled her to him. Whatever the morning might bring, they would be ready to face it together.


	63. Chapter 62

Disclaimer: I'm thinking I need to change my disclaimer after an issue I discovered while reading other stories this weekend. The characters belong to CBS and the respective creators of CSI: NY and are being borrowed solely for the entertainment of myself and others. This story, however, is my own creation and should not appear in the same context in other people's stories without my express, written permission. Thank you.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time  
>Chapter 62<p>

Shots were being fired all around her but this time, it didn't send her spiraling out of control in a panic attack even if they did almost grate on her nerves like nails on a chalkboard. She blocked everything out of her mind as she extended her right hand to fire Danny's service revolver, her left hand steadying the weapon as she slowly squeezed the trigger. She held her breath as she willed her hands to not shake and mess up her sight. She fired six quick rounds and then lowered her weapon. Danny, who had been standing well behind her as she fired, cheered as she finished. He didn't need to see a close up of the target to know that she had fired well. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he pressed the button to bring the target close. Once they had the target, they could see that although the shots weren't perfect, they were well within the acceptable target area.

Danny kissed Lindsay's cheek. It had been a tough week and a half since Atwood had killed himself during the sentencing phase of his trial. The nightmares that Lindsay had suffered right after the attack had resurfaced so neither of them were getting much sleep at night. She would first wake up crying and upset but that would soon give way to anger, not the same white hot rage she'd experienced that first night but enough that a smaller set of gloves now resided next to Danny's in the closet of the spare bedroom. Night seemed to be about the only time Atwood, even in death, could unleash his worst on the young woman. Mac had spread the word at the lab that Lindsay didn't want to hear the man's name mentioned or talk about the incident and as her friends, everyone complied. The only things haunting her at work were the stipulations Mac had been forced to put on her by Sinclair.

"That's great, Babe; you'll have your gun back in no time." He smiled at her. He was so proud of her, not just for her starting to overcome her fears of the gun, but for how strong she was showing herself, him, and everyone else she was. Atwood's death hadn't healed her completely, that wouldn't have been possible, but she was determined not to let it define who she was. The day after the attack at the courthouse, once she was able to convince her muscles to move after the abuse she'd heaped on them the night before with the punching bag, she had made an appointment with Michelle to discuss her reactions. Her therapy sessions and her nightmares were the only places that Atwood's attack were allowed center focus on her thoughts and with the exception of the occasional bad reaction to something before she could catch herself, people were starting to see the Lindsay they knew and loved reemerging.

"Yeah, well it's still three weeks until the re-qualification test and my psych eval that will allow me to fully do my job again but I'll be ready for it." Lindsay agreed. Mac had been more than generous with her in spite of Sinclair's restrictions. Every case she worked was either with him or Jo and they didn't treat her any differently in the field except where not having a gun would endanger her.

Danny rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't have to wait. You are ready now for it. I don't know what Mac is thinking'…"

She twisted in his arms and placed a finger over his mouth. She was much more understanding about the restrictions than Danny was. "Mac is following orders and being a good boss. I know from experience that failed qualification tests and evals can play hell on your career jacket. Back in Bozeman it took me a while to work past them. Mac set the test far enough out so that I could be sure to pass it the first time. Don't make him the bad guy here; I'm the one who let what happen to me interfere with my work. Maybe it wasn't in a huge way but it did interfere. Fortunately the worst it did was put me on Sinclair's radar. I'll be fine and I'll get through this. I have you and everyone at the lab, including Mac and Sinclair, looking out for me."

Danny shrugged. He guessed his own earlier experiences after the Minhas shooting still colored his judgment about dealing with the upper brass but he had to admit that Lindsay's experience seemed to be much different. "A'right, A'right, I'll leave it alone. Want to shoot some more?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I want to log out of here so we can get home. I need to go pick up Lucy so she's already there when you bring home her new best friend."

Danny grinned, anticipating Lucy's reaction to seeing the puppy for the first time. "You're gonna have the camera ready to capture her face when she sees her right?"

Lindsay smiled as well, a real smile, the smile that melted his heart and threatened to turn his knees to mush, the smile that had been missing for so long. "Like I would miss that moment. Come on Cowboy, let's go make our daughter's day."

As they made their way to the counter of the gun range, Danny's thoughts turned to the new addition they were about to add to their family. "You don't think Lucy's gonna want to name the puppy Dora or Swiper or something like that do you?"

Lindsay chuckled. "Danny, we agreed that this is Lucy's puppy and she gets to name her. We'll be happy with whatever name she chooses."

Danny nodded but didn't look convinced. "Okay but I don't want people looking at me funny when I'm walking this puppy at ten o'clock at night and calling it some crazy name."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Once Lindsay arrived back at the apartment with Lucy, she began to eagerly anticipate Danny's arrival. The two-year-old had no idea that she was getting a puppy although she'd been relentless in her begging for her own Roscoe since their return from New Orleans. Without a doubt, her reaction to the arrival of the puppy would be priceless. Over the last week, Lindsay and Danny had been sneaking in puppy supplies to the apartment and hiding them in the laundry room until they were able to surprise their daughter.

Lindsay pulled out the video camera and suggested to Lucy that they make a video to send to Stella. She figured this would give her a good excuse for having the camera out when Danny arrived at home. First Lucy sang Stella a new song she was learning in preschool. Then she looked into the camera with all the earnestness of a two year old.

"Aunt Stella, I miss you. I wish you and Unc'a Brady could come visit us. You could bring Roscoe with you and I's could p'ay with him while you are here. Peas, Aunt Stella? I loves you so much."

Lindsay hid a smile as she continued to watch her daughter from behind the video camera. Where had she learned to be so good with the emotional blackmail? Though the camera was out to really capture the arrival of the puppy, Lindsay knew this clip would have to go to Stella as well. The older woman would get a kick out of it.

She heard Danny's key in the door and knew the moment had arrived. "Lucy, sounds like Daddy's home. How about we greet him at the door?"

Enthusiastically the little girl ran to the door so that she could be the first thing Danny saw as he came into the apartment. Lindsay maneuvered so that she could perfectly capture the first meeting between canine and little girl. The door opened and Danny stepped inside holding tightly to the brown squirming puppy.

When Lucy saw the puppy, her mouth opened and formed a perfect O in surprise. Her eyes lit up as she began to hop from one foot to the other her excitement growing more and more as she realized what the presence of the puppy meant. The squeal that followed started high and then quickly escalated to a decibel that only the puppy could hear and barked at the sound of it. Lucy sat on the floor as Danny put the new pet in her lap. The puppy immediately began licking Lucy in the face, neck, anywhere she could reach. Danny wrapped an arm around Lindsay's waist as she continued to video tape the pair of instant best friends. He leaned in so that he could whisper into his wife's ear.

"I think we gotta problem here. I don't think that puppy can hold her licker."

Lindsay would have punched him in the arm for the pun if she hadn't been holding the camera. Danny gave her a peck on the kiss with a slight chuckle and then released her to join Lucy on the floor with the puppy.

"Is he wheely wheely mine?" Lucy asked looking up at her father with such a look of bliss.

Danny smiled. "She's really, really yours, Lucy Bear. Do you like her?" It was a stupid question because it was more than obvious that it was love at first sight for the little girl.

Lindsay continued to record father and daughter bonding over the newest family member. It was such a sweet moment that she couldn't help but well up in tears. For just a moment her absence in the shot threatened to overwhelm her. It gave her a glimpse of what might have been if things had gone differently while she was held hostage. If she had died during the attack then the scene being captured by video would have been Danny's and Lucy's life without her. It would have been terrible for them at first, but Danny would have loved Lucy enough to know that he had to make things okay for the little girl. Moments like this would have still probably made it on film but someone else would have been responsible for the video taping, probably Mac or Flack or someone else from the lab who had made it their responsibility to ensure that the reduced Messer family was going to be okay. She reached up and surreptitiously wiped at the tears that had welled up. This could have been their lives without her but it wasn't and she couldn't stand apart from it any longer. Without another word, she placed the camera, still recording, on the little table near the door and joined her husband and daughter on the floor.

"Mommy, lookit her. Isn't she perfect?"

Lindsay smiled at her daughter and ruffled the little girl's hair affectionately. "Yes she is, Lucy."

Danny heard the slight catch in her voice and looked at her in concern. When he saw the presence of tears in her eyes, he wrapped his arm around her again. He was becoming used to the fact that sometimes her emotions got the better of her but he couldn't figure out what had caused this current mini breakdown. Giving her a little squeeze, he kissed the side of her face close to her ear so that he could whisper without Lucy hearing.

"What's wrong, Babe?"

She shook her head. "Let's talk about it later. I just want to enjoy this moment for a while."

Danny nodded; he'd also learned it was better not to push her until she was ready to talk. As much as he wanted to fix whatever was wrong immediately, he recognized sometimes she needed to work things through in her own head. She might not confide in him right away but she would as soon as she was able to. Still he couldn't help but worry about her in the meantime. "And are you? Enjoying the moment?"

She nodded, leaning into his embrace. She knew the conversation wasn't dropped just tabled until a later time. Lucy looked up from the puppy. "What's her name?"

Danny smiled down at Lucy. "That's for you to decide. Now we gotta think of a really good name because she's going to have it for a long, long time. We don't want to pick something you won't like in another year or two."

Despite the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her, Lindsay couldn't help but giggle at Danny's less than subtle attempts to influence Lucy's name decision. He was really worried about what he was going to have to call this puppy in public. Lindsay planted a kiss on the top of the little girl's head. "What do you think she looks like, Lucy?"

"P'butter." Outside of pizza, peanut butter had to be Lucy's favorite food. It didn't surprise Lindsay that the color of the dog's coat reminded her of the color of the creamy mixture. Beside her, Danny groaned, afraid he was going to be stuck having to explain the name to everyone who asked.

Lindsay nodded. "She does kind of look like peanut butter, doesn't she. That's kind of a mouthful for a name though. What's your favorite way of eating peanut butter, Lucy?"

"Reese's." The answer came without hesitation. Both mother and daughter shared a love for the chocolate peanut butter cups that came in the bright orange package. Danny was more of a Snickers fan but he always knew what candy to get his two girls when it came to Valentine's day. Lucy looked at the puppy. "Reese's, you like that name?"

Almost as if she were answering, the puppy clamored all over Lucy, excitedly licking her all over again. Lindsay leaned close to Danny. "I think we have a name. You think you can live with calling her that when you take her for walks?"

Danny shook his head in disbelief. Reese's was definitely a name he could live with but he marveled at how quickly Lucy had settled on a name. He looked over at his wife. "You had that in mind from the very start."

Lindsay nodded. "As much as I love Lucy's name now that it's attached to our beautiful little girl, I've never forgotten that I lost out on the chance to call her the name I picked out. I wasn't going to let that happen again."

Danny smirked. "What happened to letting Lucy name the puppy?"

A ghost of a smile flirted with Lindsay's lips. "She did. She came up with the name all on her on. I just led her in the right direction."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

It took twice as long as usual to get Lucy to go to bed that night. The only way they coaxed her away from Reese's to eat supper was to bribe her with pizza. When it came time for a bath, Lucy insisted that the puppy join her so it took both parents to wrangle both puppy and toddler in a bath. Bedtime was also a battle. Lucy wanted the puppy to sleep in the bed with her but both Danny and Lindsay insisted that the puppy sleep in the pet crate they had purchased to crate train their new addition. They argued that the puppy needed to sleep in her own bed the same way Lucy had to sleep in hers but the little girl argued that Reese's would be scared all by herself all night long. An exhausted Lucy was on the verge of a full blown tantrum that was sure to spoil the good mood of the rest of the evening.

Lindsay pulled Lucy into her lap. "Lucy, I know you love Reese's very much and want to have her close to you all night. Daddy and I were the same way with you when you were a very little baby. I wanted you to sleep in the bed with me so I could keep an eye on you. Nonna was here and she told me that as much as I wanted to keep you with me it was better for you if I let you sleep in your bassinet. She told us that our bed was so big that you would get scared and could possibly get hurt in it; instead you needed the smaller space the bassinet gave us. Reese's is the same way. She needs the smaller space of her crate to feel secure. We have a blanket for her in it that smells like her mother so she'll think her mommy is still around. You wouldn't want her to get scared during the night do you?"

Lucy's lower lip trembled. "Will she have to sleep in it forever?"

Danny knelt in front of his two girls and gently caressed Lucy's cheek. "Nah, not forever. When she gets a little bigger she won't need the crate any more and then she'll be able to sleep in your room with you. Just like you went from your bassinet to your crib to the big girl bed you have now. So how about it Luce, can you be a big girl enough to let Reese's sleep in her bed tonight while you sleep in yours?"

For just a moment it looked like Lucy was about to put up a renewed fuss but then she reigned it in and nodded slightly. "I big girl Daddy. Reese's sleep in her bed."

Danny smiled, glad that they had won this battle at least temporarily. He wouldn't be surprised if they woke up in the morning to find that Lucy had made herself a pallet in the middle of the night right next to the puppy's crate but he'd take the win for now. "A'right, then I'm going to take Reese's for a walk so she can take care of her potty business before she goes to bed and you, little miss, can let your mommy tuck you into bed. Come here and give me kisses."

Lucy planted sloppy kisses on Danny and then did the same for Reese's. Danny couldn't help but feel a little glad that he got the first kisses as the puppy once again unleashed her excessive licking on Lucy in return. It took another five minutes of the two saying goodnight to each other before Danny was able to slip out of the apartment with the puppy on a leash.

After they were gone, Lindsay re-washed Lucy's face to remove the puppy slobber and tucked the little girl into bed. Instead of a story tonight, Lucy babbled on about what she wanted to do with the puppy the next day and very soon fell asleep mid-sentence. Lindsay continued to stroke Lucy's hair for several minutes even after she was sound asleep. Looking at her, she could almost see the wheels turning in her daughter's head even in her sleep, no doubt dreaming of the many adventures she was going to have with her new friend.

Just as she caught a glimpse earlier while filming Danny and Lucy of what life might have been like if she hadn't survived, now it hit home to her more than ever before what she would have missed out if she had died while in captivity. She would miss seeing the unabashed glee her daughter could display over the gift of a puppy, the innocence that exuded from the two-year-old as she slept. This time with her daughter and the times she spent holding and being held by Danny were the reasons she had survived. Whether she recognized it at the time or not, their love for her and her love for them was the life vest she'd clung to in order to get through the darkest moments.

Once again, the tears welled up in her eyes and she knew she had to get out of Lucy's bedroom before she broke down in complete sobs and woke Lucy up again. She softly kissed her daughter's forehead and rose on shaky legs before bolting to the door. She headed straight to the bedroom she shared with Danny and crawled into the bed before dissolving completely into sobs. She knew it was only a matter of time before Danny returned from walking to puppy and would be concerned to see her so upset but she didn't try to reign in her emotions at that point. She needed to expel them from her system, take them out and examine the closely to see exactly what they meant.

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

It took Danny about twenty minutes to walk the dog and return to the apartment. As soon as the puppy walked into her crate, she settled down on the blanket Mark had sent with them that contained the scent of Reese's mother. He watched, fascinated, by how quickly the puppy went to sleep. It reminded him of how quickly Lucy sometimes tended to fall asleep. Sometimes Lucy falling asleep reminded him of a toy whose batteries ran down causing the toy to slow until it came to a stop. Then other times it was if an off switch had suddenly been pulled and she went from full strength to a dead stop in a split second's time. Reese's journey to sleep tonight was more like the off switch and he was certain that both the puppy and his daughter had been made for the other.

Danny closed the crate and turned off the lights and locked the door before heading to the bedrooms. He looked in on a sleeping Lucy first and smiled to see her sleeping so contentedly. Closing her door behind him, he made his way to his bedroom. There he heard Lindsay's sobs first and then noticed her shaking figure huddled under the blanket. He was at her side in an instant, gathering her in his arms. Whether she was ready to or not, he knew the time had come for her to fill him in on what was upsetting her so much. But first he had to help her get her tears under control first. He simply held her and pressed kisses against her soft skin until finally her tears were spent and she looked up at him. He looked down at her worriedly.

"What's wrong, Babe?"

"He took my trust in people. He made me doubt whether you and I would be okay again. He made me question my ability to do my job. He took things from me that I may never get back again."

Danny considered his words carefully. He'd talked with Sam a few times since Lindsay had given him the other man's number and Sam had warned him that there would continue to be random times when the attack would come back to Lindsay with a vengeance for no apparent reason. Sam had advised him that during these times, Lindsay might just need reminding that she was okay and was going to recover fully. Somehow though, Danny had a feeling that what Lindsay was experiencing was something a little more profound than that. "What brought this on, Sweetheart?"

Lindsay took a shuddering breath trying to organize her thoughts into a logical form that she could make Danny understand. "Earlier this evening I was watching you with Lucy and it hit me that that would have been what your life was like if I had died. Then when I put Lucy to bed it hit me again what I would have lost if I hadn't survived."

Danny instinctively pulled her closer, running his fingers through her hair comfortingly. "Aw, Babe, you can't think like that. You did survive. Luce and I didn't lose you and a million prayers of thanks a day wouldn't be enough to express how glad I am of that."

Lindsay stretched up enough so that she could kiss Danny. "I know; I've been so bogged down mourning what he took from me that I sometimes lose sight of what he could never take no matter how hard he tried. At the end of the day none of those things I lost when he attacked me can destroy my life because I still have the two most important parts of my life that he couldn't even begin to threaten - you and Lucy. Both of you, your love for me and my love for you never faltered through any of this and that love is what is pulling me through to the other side and making me a stronger person. I love you Danny and I love Lucy and I love that the two of you love me back unconditionally."

Tears touched his own eyes as he kissed her once again. "Damn straight we do."

"I never thought I'd say this but I actually feel a little sorry for him. During his stay in prison he lost the same things I lost, maybe even more but he stayed so bogged down in that loss that he didn't see what was right in front of him. Just like I have you and Lucy, he had someone as well. He had a wife and a son who loved him just as much as you and Lucy love me. Instead of clinging to their love with all that was in him, he chose to stay in that dark place of loss and pain. That's why he ultimately lost everything and I'm not going to. That pain and loss won't go away right away but I don't have to stay in that hell hole. I choose the light of the love my family surrounds me in instead and none of that bad stuff can take that away from me. I'm going to be okay."

"Not a doubt in my mind." Danny assured her.

Lindsay smiled and snuggled closer into his embrace. She couldn't change what happened to her. She'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time but that place and time didn't have to continue to hold her prisoner. She wrapped Danny's arms tighter around herself and looked into his eyes. "Here in your arms is always the right place and the right time for me."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Author's notes: Well, all things must eventually come to an end and at last we've reached that point with this story. I hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I never imagined when I started out with this story that it would be this long. I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

I promise that I will now throw my energy toward Gassed and try to start back with regular updates with it.

Again, thanks for sticking with me til the end with this story.

FIN


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